The Phoenix
by Adrasteia Wen
Summary: IYYYHcrossover HieiKagome In a time of lonely desperation, Kagome is saved by a very unlikely soul, and led into a world even odder than the one she was forced to leave.
1. Angel in the Breakdown

**A/N: Ahh...smell that new-story goodness...**

**Disclaimer: I own this really cool paperclip that is shaped like an electric guitar. But I do not own InuYasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, or my amazing collection of stolen pens.**

//The Phoenix\\

§Angel in the Breakdown§

"Undeserving to the horror

Yet still her eyes behold.

At spilt blood of her comrades

The breakdown must unfold."

—Adrasteia Wen (me)

Kagome stood on the ledge of the bridge's guardrail, the small platform slowly getting stained with her blood. Here she stood, still seventeen, still the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama, just as she was earlier today. But earlier today she had true friends; earlier today, she had been relatively in good health, mentally, physically, and emotionally; earlier today, she didn't see the need to stand before the raging water of the river just a step away.

Everything was gone; her mother, Jii-chan, Souta, all lost a week ago, but just earlier today…

InuYasha…

Shippou…

'_Oh Shippou,'_ she cried internally, so helpless to her lost son. There was no way of bringing him back; not without Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru…

Miroku…

Sango…

_Sister._ Kagome could barely take it anymore. She desired nothing more than to fall into that river below; to join those now lost to her. Lost to her, just because Naraku wanted to see her face when the only tethers to heart had been snapped…snapped by him.

_That…that bastard. I'm glad he's dead. Killed by his own trap when it backfired._ Kagome's vision was blurring, her blood loss forcing her mind to wander to why she was here, for the life of her wanting to just jump and be done with it.

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_InuYasha was breathing heavily; this was getting way too dangerous. Naraku, the real Naraku, was standing behind the army of demons that he had absorbed and released for this, the final battle. _

_He was wounded badly; the miasma entered his system through the gapping hole in his stomach and his left arm hung useless as his side, the nerves destroyed in the surprise of Naraku's cowardly attack._

_He looked to his side where Kagome was crying over the dead body of her adopted son, his jugular cut from the unforeseen blades of a soulless Kagura, whose empty eyes stared at him even now, though her head was detached from the rest of her body. Kagome was wounded as well, her back a bloody mess from when she tried in vain to save the already departed life of Shippou. His death was peaceful, too quick to notice, but it was of little comfort to the miko, or anyone else for that matter. No one was expecting Kagome to fight for a while; they wanted her to mourn in peace. It was the least that they could do._

_He looked to Sango and Miroku; they were fighting and losing with each youkai they destroyed. Naraku used InuYasha's moment of distraction to his advantage, rearing a tentacle at him and hitting him in the heart, killing him instantly, and then throwing him into the nearby river._

_Kagome had chosen that moment to look up and she screamed just as she had with Shippou. This wasn't right. So soon after losing her family, only to deal with this; she was losing her control. Standing before Shippou, as if to protect him even though she _knew_ he was gone, she knocked an arrow and shot it at the demons attacking Sango and Miroku and watched them dissolve, but even that was twisted to Naraku's enjoyment._

_With the opening that was presented to him and before Kagome could even shout a warning, the tentacles sprang into action and pierced the monk and the slayer in the neck and lungs, holding them as the blood slid down the scales, dropping to form a puddle before throwing them into the river, following the dead body of InuYasha._

_Kagome looked on as two more of her friends, her family, hit the water and sunk out of sight. She looked around, desperate for any help to come forth and assist her in destroying this bastard. No one else was there—just her and Naraku._

"_Poor Kagome, all alone I see. There is nobody left to save you. Sesshoumaru is dead—he tried and failed to avenge the death of that stupid girl Rin. I killed her, too, you know, just to see how Sesshoumaru reacted. It went as well as I thought; he was enraged that the Tenseiga wouldn't work because her body was burnt to ashes while she was alive. He and that idiotic toad fought to their deaths for that little human._

"_Kouga was easy enough to destroy as well; I just attacked his pack and he fell to a weak, disgraceful death as well."_

_Kagome fell to her knees, pain and rage overtaking her body. How dare this…thing…take the lives of so many innocent people—innocent people who did not deserve death or to have it mocked like he was doing now. They died with honor, and honor they shall have! She'd be damned if this creature live another second!_

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And live no more he did. Whatever it was restricting her miko abilities, whatever that unseen barrier was it willingly shattered at the thirst for honor to the dead and the need for avengement. It exploded forth with a just fury that had left Naraku quaking. In desperation, he called upon the powers of the Shikon to protect him, to reflect the attack back at its sender.

Such a foolish bastard he was.

Kagome was the jewel's Guardian; even the demon souls rested easy around her and only around _her_. It would not kill the one who gives it peace: the young, fragile warrior who let it feel safe.

The Shikon flew through the air and combined with the single shard around its keeper's neck before lodging itself back in her left side, regretfully forced to break the skin to get to where it was born in her body, causing her yet another wound, but settling itself into dormancy for the reason that it was once again with its mistress.

The wave of immense purification discriminated against none of the foliage on its way to Naraku, before painfully destroying every last bit of his evil. There were no ashes, no chances for a rebirth like that of Kikyou. But before anything could even be done to bury Shippou, she was force to her time, late at night, at the bottom of the well.

She walked aimlessly for a while, encountering no one on this balmy spring night. Kagome could tell that it had rained today; the scent clung to the still moist ground like her blood to the tatters of her useless school uniform. It was a wonder that she had yet to die from her wounds, but she expected the Shikon was keeping her alive as she wandered around for a few hours. She broke when the river came to view.

Blame, guilt, anguish; all were resting on her back like a dead body, the weight almost bringing her to her knees. She held herself accountable for the extinguished lives of her loved ones. Sango trained her to be a taijiya, dammit! Why couldn't she have defended them like she had worked so hard to do? She was a good pupil! She knew herbs and poisons and how to throw Hiraikotsu and fight with a sword and dodge attacks! She knew it all, the armor that proved her status lying snug in a little corner of the well house at her abandoned home, and she couldn't do a damned thing to assist the only family she had left!

The moon shone its brilliance down to the earth, falling upon her pale skin, reflecting off the tear tracks that kept renewing themselves with each blink of her eyes. Everything was gone from her, and she wanted nothing more than to be with what she lost again. Was that so wrong?

Yes, she knew that it was wrong, that she shouldn't be here letting her wounds bleed and contemplating her own death, but she was just floating out to sea with her anchor broken.

She looked down to the uninviting water; even it didn't seem to want her to die. But that was okay, she was willing to impose herself just this once. Still facing the water, her body bent slightly at the hips to get a better view, she prepared to let her muscles relax so she could just simply fall into the river, gravity inviting her, pushing her down to meet the icy canal…

"What are you doing?" a male voice from behind her asked, horror lacing his tone. The sound of heavy footsteps became louder as the person came up to stand near her. "What happened to you?"

Kagome assumed that he meant the wounds on her back rather than what brought her here. It was dark; he probably just noticed the blood dripping from her body. Nonetheless, she chose to answer for her reasons of standing on the ledge of a bridge.

"Everything has left me, none by will of their own, but they're still gone, and I won't see them again while I'm still here. I want to follow them, by way of blood and water; the way of their own demise," she whispered, her voice hoarse from the screaming she did on the battlefield. She faced the man who interrupted her, just a little bit surprised by what she saw.

He looked a bit like a foreigner, and wasn't exactly handsome but he had this thing about him that made Kagome look at him for longer than she intended. It was the look in his eyes; he looked like he was hurting, just because she was in pain. His orange hair was gelled at the top of his head in the classic punk style and he had thin, brown eyes and a bit of a point to his face. And he was tall, really, _really_ tall, definitely dwarfing her little one hundred fifty-one centimeters in an instant.

The strange young man looked worried and confused at what to do or to say. "Could you come down? I'm sure we could…talk, or something," he tried to reason, looking around nervously. His gruff voice was starting to let onto his panic. Kagome looked at him oddly.

"Why? I do not know you," she answered in a hoarse whisper again, just now realizing how raw her throat had become.

The boy looked slightly aggravated at her response. "Dammit, I just don't wanna see ya kill yourself!" he shouted, flinging his arms in the air.

Kagome froze, staring into the man's beady eyes and seeing the sincerity within them. _He doesn't want me to die, but he doesn't know me._ She felt something pulling her down; a new anchor to keep her to reality. The veracity of the situation hit her, and she was terrified. She straightened herself as best she could so she wouldn't fall forward, but instead tilt back. Looking to the young man behind her, she flashed him a small, somewhat true smile briefly before letting the fatigue and emotional befuddlement carry her to a blissful unconsciousness.

§

Kazuma Kuwabara caught the young woman before she hit the ground. He was in a bit of a shock. He was getting home from a rather boring mission really late at night and he runs across some pretty girl about to jump off a bridge. When he walked closer, he saw the blood that covered her shaking frame.

He wanted to know what happened to her, but he couldn't wake her up now. It would be best if he ran home and woke up Shizuru to take care of her wounds; she was much better at bandaging than he was.

When he made it to the front door of the small house he shared with his sister, Kuwabara had to move the girl to one arm and get the key to turn the lock and deadbolt. He carefully swung open the door and shut it again, locking it as it had been locked before his arrival.

Kuwabara was fairly confused and very torn. What could drive someone to _that_? He could _feel_ the heartache seeping from the woman's energy, which was, for that matter, pure and cleansing. When he had first felt it, he just wanted to see what it was; to know what the rare innocence that made his soul feel rejuvenated was in such a tainted reality. Who wouldn't?

But when he saw that the source was a petite young woman at the ledge of a bridge, leaning so she could just fall as though she couldn't care, Kuwabara panicked. He had never felt an energy like hers before, and he didn't want to let it get washed away; his heart and his code not letting harm come to this woman who looked younger than he did, even if it was from herself.

Kuwabara felt compelled to help her, like she was a little sister who needed her older brother's help and support.

And speaking of siblings…

He set the strange woman down gently on the guest bed, cringing at the blood on his clothes, before starting down the hall to his sister's room. He opened the door and, after making sure that his hand was fairly clean from the same crimson on his shirt, cautiously shook his older sister awake; Shizuru hated to be woken up.

§

Shizuru stood in the doorway of the guestroom staring at the bed in a stupor. The teenager was lying comfortably on her stomach; her back wounds wouldn't allow for contentment if there was the pressure of her own weight. She was wearing a pair of Shizuru's old clothes from a few years ago; with a fresh pair of underwear that older girl was going to return tomorrow because they were too small. A pair of dark purple sweatpants was hidden by the light green coverlet, but the back of a worn-in business shirt that once belonged to her father, before he and her mother passed away, could be seen. The outlines of the bandages were visible, the stark white material covering the deep lacerations, and the small, yet profound, hole in the left side of the woman's hip. Shizuru was thankful that Kurama had made them that special salve to stop the bleeding without the need for nasty stitches, especially since she wasn't exactly a particularly remarkable seamstress; she was sure the girl would agree as well. But still, she was in a silent daze.

No less than an hour ago, she was awoken by her little brother, knocked her little brother senseless after aforementioned act, was lead to the guestroom, and tended to the wounds of a girl that she knew nothing about. Kazuma wasn't forthcoming on the info concerning her, so either he didn't know or he didn't want to tell. Clearing her head with a little shake, she moved to the living room to where her brother was sitting, waiting to hear if his living discovery was still as such.

When she entered the room, Kazuma stood and asked, "How is she? She gonna be okay?"

Shizuru sighed and sat down in the chair. "She should be fine, but you need to tell me what happened," Shizuru insisted, using patience with her brother. "How did she end up like that? Was she like that when you found her? Where was she?" she prompted when Kuwabara still wouldn't answer. She watched her brother's internal struggle play out in his eyes before he looked up and answered.

"I don't know any details but I found her at that bridge some-odd blocks away. She was gonna jump, I could tell 'cause she was really sad, and it was in her aura. She already had those wounds and I don't know a thing as to how she got 'em. But I know what she said to me when I asked her what happened, and I know that my memory isn't great but I think that I'll remember it for the rest of my life." Kuwabara paused; he seemed to be thinking harder, finding the meaning to the words that Shizuru had yet to hear.

Finally, Shizuru asked, "What did she say, Kazuma?" The expression of confusion settled heavily on Kuwabara's face as he recited what the depressed young woman answered.

"'Everything has left me, none by will of their own, but they're still gone, and I won't see them again while I'm still here. I want to follow them, by way of blood and water; the way of their own demise,'" he repeated. He paused before resuming the conversation. "But I don't get what she means with the 'by way of blood and water.' I'm pretty sure that everyone she knew is dead, which is why she wanted to be with them."

Shizuru nodded again, thinking of her own possibilities. "Maybe," she said after a moment of thinking, "they were injured and then drowned? We'll never know until we ask her, which is _not_ something we will do as soon as she wakes up," she demanded to her little brother, looking in his eyes to make sure that he heard correctly. When he nodded his agreement, she stood up and stretched, heading upstairs to the bedrooms.

"We should go to bed. Your Spring Break ended tonight, but I'll call the high school and tell them that you are unable to attend because you have a fever or something. We need you here to take care of the girl while I'm working at the salon tomorrow. We're both going to have to wake up early to make sure she doesn't have a fever or infection." She halted her progress in the hall when she reached the doorway of the guestroom, stopping Kuwabara who was just behind. "Those wounds were really serious; I wish I had an idea as to what did it."

"'What?'" Kuwabara asked curiously, looking at his sister.

"Those wounds didn't seem like they could be made by ningen means. I'd almost say it was done by a youkai. But how? Wouldn't the toddler notice? And why her?" Shizuru frowned.

"It may be because of her aura, sis. It feels pure, and youkai like to taint things. Didn't you notice it?" Kuwabara wondered. Was his sister losing her touch?

"I noticed it. It makes me feel peaceful. It didn't feel like the aura of someone who wanted to die." The older sister shook her head before flipping the switch that made the room glow with artificial lighting to 'OFF.' "Let's just go to sleep and worry more in the morning," Shizuru whispered decisively.

§

Kagome stood alone on the pebbled shore beside a peaceful brook, wondering where the hell she was, or where that guy went. Sighing, she sat down and contemplated all that had happened in the last day. She lost, well, everything, and almost herself if it hadn't been for that stranger.

"Kami-sama, what was I thinking?" she asked herself. "So much would be lost if I died."

"Exactly," a voice from behind her responded, delicate and gentle like the creek that she was standing beside. Kagome turned to the holder of the sound and found it to be a woman in extremely old-fashioned armor, a sword at her hip. Long, flowing, black hair framed a pale, beautiful face, accenting on the dark green of her eyes. Before Kagome stood none other than Midoriko, Creator of the Shikon no Tama.

"Midoriko-sama?" Kagome questioned, as if to test the actuality of who was in front of her.

Midoriko nodded her head and sat beside where Kagome stood, patting the ground next to her in invitation. Kagome plopped herself on the right side of the woman. Midoriko smiled slightly.

"I am sorry to say that our meeting was not wrought of better circumstances," she began. Kagome nodded, understanding that she was talking about the deaths of her friends and family. "But nonetheless, we are joined now, and I can communicate with you as I, as well as the other souls in the Jewel, have longed to do for a while yet. I wanted to explain to you what you could expect from now.

"You have probably wondered what became of youkai in your era?" Kagome nodded her head again. "Well, they have not disappeared from existence; I daresay that would be an impossible task to achieve. Instead, the Powers that Be have separated the world that you knew in the Sengoku Jidai into three different realms.

"Ningenkai is the world for humans, and is the world that you have known for most of your existence. Here, humanity is safe, or safe as it could be, but that shall all be explained in due time.

"Makai is the world of demons, apparitions, et cetera. It has its basic chaos and destruction that all youkai have a craving for, but no ningens. Most is much like the Sengoku Jidai if a comparison must be made, but the sky is red with turmoil.

"Reikai is sort of like the mediator between the two. It keeps the youkai away and Ningenkai safe. Souls of the dead are brought there to be sent to where they need. King Enma is the one with the most power there but his son, Koenma, is working in his stead.

"Now, Reikai keeps Ningenkai safe with the Reikai Tantei, quite the unique little group if I do say so myself. But you need not worry about them much; they will not bring you harm. In fact, I am almost certain that Koenma may order them to _guard_ you, which, in all honesty, has already started." Kagome quirked her head to the side, confused. Midoriko smiled again and explained, "That young man who saved you from yourself is part of the group."

Kagome nodded. "But why would I need such protection?" she asked, though she already had an idea of what the answer would be.

Midoriko laughed lightly. "Oh, how quickly we forget! I know that you know that you are the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama, my dear Wakamusha. However, you, as I, are legendary.

"You see, Naraku was the entire reason for the creation of the three worlds. Therefore, indirectly, you are what helped to bring the separation about, though you know that youkai and ningens could coexist, as was proved by that delightful group of yours. Some youkai may hate you for that, not all mind, but some, so they would try to kill you, thus needing said protection. Then again, there are probably just as many regarding you as either a religious figure, or a heroine of one of the greatest epics in demonic—and for the most part human—history."

"Midoriko-sama," Kagome interrupted. "Just how…legendary…am I?"

"Extremely," Midoriko answered simply. "To them, you are known as Jun-Namida no Miko."

"Priestess of the Pure Tear?"

"Yes, and these," the ancient miko pressed her thumb to Kagome's forehead and a blue glow ensued before she removed it and then held her hands to Kagome's face, the thumbs on the young miko's cheeks glowing amethyst before she, again, removed them, "are your legendary marks, as are the scars on your back. It proves to everyone just who you are and what you stand for." Kagome scrambled to the brook and looked at her reflection. Just where Midoriko's thumb resided was a light blue teardrop with the Kanji of 'pure' in a light violet color, matching the color of her energy as well as the two small teardrops from where the great miko's thumbs had been on her cheeks, giving off the impression she was crying.

"My scars?" Kagome asked, staring at her visage in the water with amazement.

"Hai, Wakamusha, your scars. Your legend, most specifically the battle that you have recently endured, has been told to youkai children for centuries. The scars you bear on your back have been noted well throughout time. And sadly, unlike your markings, they cannot be concealed," Midoriko explained. Kagome looked up in confusion, which the older miko swiftly noticed.

"You have a glamour on your marks in your physical body, but not the scars. If you want them to be seen, simply will it. The same can go for if you want it hidden. Best be careful, though, as they can just as easily be revealed in times of high emotion."

Kagome nodded and slowly sat back to her previous spot. "But, I have such little control over the power I have," Kagome mumbled slightly, looking down at her feet in self-conscious embarrassment. Midoriko laughed lightly and shook her head.

"Wakamusha, do you seriously think that the Shikon would let someone incompetent protect it? The only reason that your energy was withheld and so uncontrolled was because of the broken Tama. With it restored to what it once was, your power will be much easier to use. That breakthrough against Naraku was all the proof needed to say that you are quite in control of yourself.

"If you wish for a barrier, all you need is to envision it or something like it. Let the power flow out and solidify into a form of protection, set the requirements for entrance, whatever it is you want it to do.

"If you want an attack, then it is much the same. Say you wish to shoot out a beam of energy from your palm, like you did on your first night in the Sengoku Jidai before the Shikon was torn from your side. See the energy flow from your body and focus into your palm and expel it from your body."

Kagome looked at Midoriko a bit sadly. "You make it sound so easy."

"You make it sound impossible. Shooting with your bow and arrows has toned your spiritual muscles to perfection. It is simply a matter of getting used to the feeling and knowing what things will accompany them; you have the talent, the potential, you just need to practice it." Midoriko stood and Kagome followed her example.

"Now, before I return you to consciousness and all the pain of being a wounded human in mourning, I wish for you to take this gift." The ancient miko pulled out a beautiful sword. The hilt was carefully wrapped in soft, white, leather with interwoven threads of green. The blade was long, slender, light, and strong. When the light hit it in the right way, it shone with light violet flames. "This is the Jihi no Kiseki, the Miracle of Mercy. It is like the Tenseiga; it saves lives and heals wounds with a mere swipe. The Kiseki-Jihi is also rather sensitive as to its handler." She handed Kagome the sword and the dark oak scabbard. "The sheath is extremely durable and can be used as a defense weapon," she added.

"I also have the sword that I crafted at Toutousai's place," Kagome sighed. Things just got much more difficult than she had hoped. It was so much to absorb: people dead, almost attempted suicide, a 'Reikai Tantei', and that whole legendary thing.

"You have more than that, Wakamusha," Midoriko chimed. "The Tessaiga has been left to you, waiting a few centimeters into the ground at the base of Goshinboku, as you are the only person to whom InuYasha would have trusted it. It trusts you, and it will let you wield it." The Shikon's mother sighed almost wistfully. "That is one amazing sword, that is."

Kagome looked down sadly. "Hai, it certainly is unique," she whispered, her heart cleaving a bit. _Oh InuYasha…_ Warm arms embraced her tenderly.

"It will get easier, Kagome. I promise you will not be alone. You will find love; even though it may seem impossible now, I know you will," Midoriko soothed. Kagome threw her arms around the older miko, taking the comfort. When Kagome calmed, Midoriko moved away, standing and offering a delicate grin.

"I shall leave you to your rest, Wakamusha. If you need me, I will be here," she assured before her voice faded and Kagome's surroundings faded into nothingness.

§§§§§

**Translations not explained in text:**

**Wakamusha-Young warrior**

**A/N: So...how was it? Did you like it? Should I just crawl into a ditch and die sad, alone, and paperclipless? Review please, greatly appreciated!**


	2. Mortal Pain

**A/N: Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed! I really appreciate it, it makes me want to update the more I get them.**

**Disclaimer: I own this really cool paperclip that is shaped like an electric guitar. But I do not own InuYasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, or my amazing collection of stolen pens. (They are _stolen_ after all.)**

//The Phoenix\\

§Mortal Pain§

"Kindness is the only service that will stand the storm of life and not wash out. It will wear well and be remembered long after the prism of politeness or the complexion of courtesy has faded away."

--Anonymous

Waking was painful. Breathing was painful. Existing was painful. Everything on her body was stabbing to her brain, which, too, was painful.

Kagome slowly opened her eyes, trying to take in her surroundings while fighting off her throbbing headache. The room she was in had light eggshell-colored walls and a teal carpet. There was a small, bedside table, a window—closed—to her left and, after she turned her head, there was another window and a door that seemed to lead to a closet, though she wasn't too sure as the predawn darkness flooded the room. She turned her head back to where it had been, as it had been more comfortable like that, and finally tried to assess herself from her immobile placement on the bed.

The miko's back was aching and she started to shiver. Her body felt cold despite the coverlet on her. To distract herself, she gripped her hands, but instead of feeling the skin of her empty palm, she felt something hard and smooth under the touch of her left hand. Painstakingly, she pulled it up from the covers and let it come into view: a sword encased in a gleaming sheath, the Kiseki-Jihi.

She wasn't too sure how long she sat there, her eyes unable to cry, nor when or if she had fallen asleep before a she heard movement and, after hiding her sword underneath the line of pillows, she closed her eyes, feigning rest.

The door opened, and two people, from the sounds of it, came into her room. She felt the covers being gently pulled back and stiffened slightly.

"She looks like she's in pain, Shizuru," a thick voice said from above her. It was familiar, but the functions of her mind weren't quite working to their fullest capacity at the moment, so the name or face didn't come to mind.

"Well, I'd imagine that she would be, Kazuma. She's probably going to wake up soon," a woman speculated next to the male voice. Kagome internally sighed with relief; at least now if she accidentally opened her eyes, it wouldn't seem too unnatural. "I just wish I knew what the hell did this to her…"

"I thought you thought it was a youkai?" the male questioned confused. Kagome almost opened her eyes in shock. It suddenly struck her just who he was: the strange man from the night before. _'Midoriko-sama wasn't lying about this guy, was she?'_

"What I think doesn't matter if it's not the truth. Now get out of the room, I'm going to check the bandages," the woman commanded while sitting on her bed, the weight dipping the bed down to her left.

"Fine," the male grumbled, the sound of a door shutting followed his footsteps.

The woman beside her sighed. "I don't know what you got yourself into, kid, but you certainly didn't get out of it unharmed," she told her supposedly sleeping form. She felt the woman remove a shirt from her body. The sound of a drawer sliding open and the click of scissors opening and closing reached her ears before the feeling of thin, cold metal was pressed to the flesh of her back.

Kagome's eyes flew open at the unexpected sensation, a silent gasp flying from her mouth. The metal was instantly pulled away from her. "You're awake?" the other woman asked, slightly surprised. "I guess you wouldn't want your back to be touched after what happened to it," she said, moving down until she was within Kagome's line of vision. "My name's Kuwabara Shizuru, by the way."

Shizuru had light brown hair down to her waist and slightly darker brown eyes that regarded her almost sympathetically. She was wearing a pair of brown slacks, a white blouse, a red tie, and a tan vest. She had a reasonably strong aura for a ningen, telling Kagome that she could probably sense ghosts, youkai, and most likely some of the miko energy that leaked through her shield. Kagome nodded in reply, letting Shizuru know that she understood.

"I'm going to change your bandages now; those were some serious wounds. Am I right in the guess that you don't want to talk about it?" the older woman assumed, putting the scissors lightly against her back again. Kagome nodded as Shizuru cut away the bandages and gently, though painstakingly pulled Kagome into a kneeling position on the bed. "There's a bath set up across the hall. I figured you might like one if you're wounds would allow for it."

Kagome nodded again, but glanced down at her exposed skin. Shizuru smirked and reassured, "My brother's in the living room, so there's no risk for you to be seen like that. Now, since your back is pretty much untouchable at the moment, we'll have to find another way to get you there. I don't think you should be walking yet, so just put your arms around my neck and hold on as tight as you think is needed." She bent down to the miko and Kagome did as asked, gripping soft enough to not choke Shizuru, but hard enough to keep her from falling backwards.

She was slightly surprised when she felt hands pulling up her thighs until she was no longer on the bed, but instead straddling the left side of Shizuru's hip. "Are you steady?" the older girl asked, holding her like she was a toddler. Kagome nodded and Shizuru walked over to the bathroom, closing the door after they entered.

Kagome was set gently onto the toilet. Shizuru carefully removed the rest of the clothing before she was lifted again and settled into the warm water. The slightly heated water stung relentlessly at her nerves, causing her to wince slightly in discomfort. Shizuru tentatively washed her hair and conditioned it. While the conditioner set, she took a washcloth, lathered it, and began to clean Kagome's still slightly blood-covered body. "I see that you are no stranger to pain…" Shizuru murmured, carefully examining the scars of four puncture wounds on the back of each upper arm and the rough line on her right. Kagome slowly brought her left hand out of the water and ran over the linear scar, remembering the look on Kohaku's face when Naraku controlled him. The punctures came from the experience with Kaguya while she sealed away the human part of InuYasha's soul, forcing him to go youkai. Despite the new discoveries, Shizuru pressed on; however, when the older woman reached her face, she was hard-pressed to try and remove a previously unnoticed forest-green eye shadow.

"Damn it, why the hell won't this come off?" Shizuru grumbled, rubbing at her top lids. Almost smiling, Kagome lifted one hand and guided Shizuru's hand away, shaking her head. "It's not going to come off, is it?" Kagome shook her head again.

Very few people knew that Sango's "eye shadow" was in fact a rudimentary tattoo of sorts, given to her when she ascended to womanhood and an official rank as a taijiya. Therefore, Sango did the same to her in the color of her armor when she became an official taijiya under her supervision, using the natural acidity of a certain bug youkai, the green leaves from the Goshinboku, and a thin spike of polished wood. Admittedly, it was rather painful—the acid biting into her flesh to form a permanent tattoo. Yet afterwards…she felt a feeling of accomplishment that she doubted she would ever feel again.

Fifteen minutes later, Kagome was clean, wrapped with fresh bandages and wearing the same pants from before, but with a newer shirt, still an old business-type one, but the sleeves were cut off at the elbow. She swallowed a tablet of something to help keep away the pain, and then Shizuru blow-dried her hair with a professional skill so that she didn't have to lay around with it wet.

When she was ready to leave the bathroom, Kagome was set back on Shizuru's hip, but instead of going back to the bedroom like she expected, the miko was brought down the stairs and into a big room where the man from last night was seated on a couch. "Kazuma, move your ass off of the couch and be useful," Shizuru ordered in her almost monotone voice.

The tall teenager scrambled at the sound of his sister's voice. Kagome was placed belly-down on the now vacant couch, her head pillowed by the low armrest. Shizuru turned to who she could only assume to be Kazuma, as he was the only other person in the room. "I have to get to the salon or else I'm going to be late. I called the school and they think that you have some sort of flu virus so, for Kami's sake, don't go outside and start some stupid fights," she told the orange-haired boy before turning to Kagome. "If you need anything, get him to help you. I should be home by six, seven at the latest. Be sure this baka gives you the pain-relievers at noon."

Kagome nodded again and Shizuru was out the door. Brown eyes turned curiously in her direction. "I'm Kuwabara Kazuma," the guy introduced. "Do you want a blanket or something?" Kazuma asked, fidgeting around a bit nervously. Kagome gave the tiniest of smiles and acquiesced. Kazuma left and returned a bit later, carrying a quilt for her, and set it around her gently. "So…what's your name?" he asked, sitting on the ground, leaning against the couch by her hips so she still had a decent view of the television that she had hardly noticed was on.

Kagome opened her mouth and whispered, "My name is Kagome." She paused before saying, "Thank you…for stopping me that night." Kazuma smiled a bit before frowning.

"Just as long as you don't try to do that again, I'll be happy," he said. Kagome smiled a tiny bit wider and closed her eyes, exhaustion overtaking her yet again.

"I promise."

§

A rough hand ran itself over slicked-back black hair for the fourth time in an hour before fisting and punching a nearby wall, leaving a noticeable dent in the concrete. Brown eyes glared at the depression as though it was the cause of all the frustration building within him.

The sound of footsteps came to his ears through the steel door blocking his sanctuary, the roof. His hands quickly shoved themselves into the pockets of his green uniform and he stood beside the threshold, waiting for the one person he would willingly allow here to make her entrance.

Punctual as ever, a young woman burst through the door, her short, brown hair and light blue uniform swaying in the draft. Her brown eyes, lighter in shade than his, searched the area before turning to the door, at last finding who she was looking for in the first place. "There you are, Yusuke. You should really be in class right now," she chastised, giving him a brief hug.

Yusuke shrugged in a noncommittal manner before sliding down the wall, crouching on the ground. "Class was a pain in the ass, Keiko. My time is better wasted up here," he responded, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Keiko pulled it away from his lips mid-drag, crushed it under her shoe and took a seat beside him, carefully folding her legs so that her skirt didn't show anything unnecessary to be seen.

"I heard Kuwabara is sick today," she commented casually. "Strange, he was fine when I last saw him."

"Keh, the baka's probably trying to buy an extra day of break." After a few moments more of lackluster conversation, Keiko needed to head back to class, Yusuke opting to not follow behind her.

Yusuke didn't buy that Kuwabara was sick: he was fine last night. It was rare enough for himself to be in school, but the detective took care of that and decided to leave around noon, lighting a new cig for his extinguished one. Sure, Keiko would probably be pissed about it—the ditching and the smoking—but he could live with that.

Yusuke covered some of the usual places Kuwabara might be, ending up getting into about four fights before he decided to actually check the guy's house. The fights did help to work off the frustration of having Keiko drag him into the school earlier this morning, though, so it wasn't all for naught.

Making it there, he was about to knock on the door when he felt an unfamiliar presence in the house. Quirking an eyebrow, he tried to feel it out only to have the door open in his face, the man he came to see standing healthily before him.

"Urameshi, what the hell are you doing here?" Kuwabara asked, looking at him confused. "Is there another mission already?" Yusuke shook his head.

"No, baka, you weren't in school today and-"

"_You_ were in school?" Kuwabara interrupted, shocked. Yusuke's eye twitched in annoyance.

"Hai, I was in school before, but now I'm not," he said tersely. "But anyway, you _weren't_ in school because of the flu. Care to explain why you're completely healthy?"

Yusuke watched as the orange-haired teenager bounced nervously, trying to come up with a decent excuse before giving up. Kuwabara sighed. "Just shut up and come in."

Yusuke stepped inside the small house, taking off his shoes by the door. Kuwabara stepped forward and signaled for Yusuke to follow him as he walked carefully into the living room.

There was a body of a sleeping young woman lying belly-down on the couch, covered almost tenderly in a thick quilt's embrace, making her look small and fragile. Raven hair that shone blue in the light contrasted to the pale, delicate skin of the woman's face. The only thing marring about it was the dark circles that shadowed under the lids of her closed eyes. The quilt obscured all other features, but it failed to hide the aura she emitted.

It was…pure…untainted, like nothing that he had ever felt in his life. She had no darkness in her soul; she was in emotional pain, that much was obvious, but she wasn't spiteful because of it, no matter how much it seemed to have hurt her. And it was strong, it seemed to be escaping from an imprisonment of sorts, or so it appeared.

Yusuke looked between the sleeping girl and Kuwabara, curious as to what happened so that a pretty girl like her was resting on the couch of an ugly buffoon like him. Yusuke stepped up the woman, but stepped back as a thread of the energy reached out to him, tasting his aura before returning to her body contentedly. The detective frowned slightly.

"What was that about?"

§

Kagome jostled herself from her dreams, which were far from pleasant, at the feel of a new aura in the room, but as it felt harmless, she let it go. Deciding that now was as good a time as any, she brought herself to the peaceful field with the clear-water brook she met Midoriko in before, hoping that she would be there again. Not one to disappoint, the older miko stepped out from a lining of trees that bordered the clearing.

"There was something that you wished to discuss, Wakamusha?" she asked, taking a seat beside her companion.

Kagome nodded. "There wasn't much time to fully explain everything before, Midoriko-sama. I'm a bit confused still," she admitted while twiddling her thumbs nervously.

"What is it you want to better understand?" Midoriko inquired. Kagome looked up.

"Well, for one, why is it that I can't hide my markings here?" It was something that she greatly wanted to understand. Midoriko smiled at the troubled expression on her face.

"You cannot hide anything from the mind, Wakamusha. No matter what happens, you cannot lie to something that will always see the truth," she answered. "But I doubt that is your most desperate question. Something more is causing you angst."

Kagome nodded. "Midoriko-sama, I feel so…consumed. You tell me that I'm a legend and just recently give me the markings that demons have known about for centuries. I'm not that special, I'm not that strong. I'm just who I am, Midoriko-sama," Kagome caved, spilling forth all of her worries. "Who dictated my markings? Who gave me the title of 'Jun-Namida no Miko'? How am I to be her when I'm me?"

Midoriko quickly hugged her. "Spoken like a true heroine," the Shikon's creator mused, holding her tighter. "Kagome, you are a legend because you are you. Do not try and change because of a different name. It is not either 'Kagome' or 'Jun-Namida no Miko'. It is 'Kagome, the Jun-Namida no Miko', do not forget it.

"As for the bearer of the name and the markings, your friends Kaede and Jinenji are responsible. Jinenji gave you the name, for your kindness and love that you showed to him, and Kaede prayed to me at my cave, begging to know what became of you. I came to her the night after her request in her dreams, and told her that you survived the pull of time and what transpired in The Shikon Battle. She pleaded that I give you the markings, and the name with which Jinenji honored you.

"Your true name has been lost in the sands of the centuries, as have the names of your companions. To all who know the legend now, InuYasha is the 'Hokori no Hanyou'; Miroku is 'Jounetsu no Houshi'; Sango is 'Meiyo no Taijiya'; Kirara is 'Yuuki no Neko'; and Shippou is, as he often called himself, 'Seigi no Kitsune'."

At that one, Kagome let out a tearful laugh. "The Fox Demon of Justice…I almost forgot he called himself that…" She took a deep breath, glad that her friends received the titles that they deserved: 'The Half-Demon of Pride', 'The Monk of Passion', 'The Demon-Exterminator of Honor', 'The Cat Demon of Courage', and 'The Fox Demon of Justice'. "Is Jinenji…alive?" Kagome questioned, hoping…

"I believe so, but he has been forced into Makai, as he could never fit in with ningen society. It will be difficult to see him without tipping off Koenma," Midoriko said. "I believe my dear friend Kirara has been checking up on him every now and then while she searched for you, Wakamusha." Kagome looked up at that.

"Kirara's alive too?" she asked, more hope building within her. She wasn't alone after all?

"Of course Kirara is still with the living," Midoriko beamed. "Do you not remember? Kirara was injured in a previous battle and Sango told her to stay with Kaede for the time being. Kirara, when able, was supposed to fly out to where you guys were going to stay. However, all that was left for her to find was the battlefield and the body of Shippou."

"Poor Kirara…" Kagome whispered. _And I thought I was alone._

"Yes indeed, but Kirara knew that you would be back again, and she's been waiting. Now that you have resurfaced, it is doubtless that she won't find you soon." Midoriko was still smiling, happy with the memories of her precious fire-neko.

"Midoriko-sama?" Kagome murmured. She wasn't particularly fond of the next question, but the answer needed to be known, not only for her safety, but also for the safety of many innocent young women.

"Hai, Wakamusha?" Midoriko finally let go of her, pulling back from the hug to look deeply into her midnight eyes.

"What happened to Kikyou?"

There was a pregnant silence following the question, one where Midoriko turned her face away and stood, walking over to the brook and kneeling beside it. Worried, Kagome followed, standing beside her.

Midoriko's voice fluttered over to her. "You feel it, that gapping chasm where the piece of your soul should be. You feel it all the time, don't you?" Kagome lowered her eyes.

"I do, but it's my fault Kikyou is still walking. I gave her more of my soul when Naraku attempted to destroy her so she could continue her existence. Kikyou is my responsibility now. I take it she's still around?" Kagome assumed knowledgably. Midoriko nodded.

"You will have your chance to face her, Wakamusha. You will have that chance relatively soon, if I am not mistaken. You see, Kikyou somehow manages to cross the barrier from Makai, where she was forced to go, and Ningenkai. She comes to this realm to…harvest the souls of dead young females, and if she sees fit she will force the soul out of a living girl's body by the use of Kanna's mirror, which she manipulates with her tainted energy. It is also with this mirror that none of the previous detectives were able to survive an encounter with her, as it can reflect attacks. Kikyou comes at least once every fifty years or so for this harvesting, always evading the Reikai and even the Makai forces, searching for your soul so she can finally be complete," she explained.

"I see. How is it that you know all of this, Midoriko-sama?" Kagome asked, truly curious at the wealth of knowledge the older miko seemed to possess.

"While your soul was transferred directly to this era, mine had to wait out the time shifts as a bystander to everything. I witnessed the making of the three worlds, heard your legend spread throughout the lands, all from the Shikon's power." Midoriko stood, smiling gently. "It's time for you to awaken, Kagome. Have fun meeting the leader of the Reikai Tantei. He's quite the character."

§

Yet again, Kagome awoke to pain in her back. She shot her eyes open to see Kazuma and a man with slicked black hair and brown eyes arguing over something. Unable to distinguish the sounds so soon after returning to consciousness, she settled with interrupting them. Sure, it wasn't something that she'd normally do, but she was hurting!

"Kazuma?" Kagome greatly disliked her voice in the real world: it sounded so weak and broken. However, the weak and broken voice was enough to gain the attention of the other occupants in the room.

Kazuma rushed over, kneeling beside the couch. "What's wrong, Kagome? Are you cold? Hungry?" he listed, tucking the quilt closer to her. Kagome could see that the teenager behind Kazuma looked fairly surprised by her caretaker's action.

"I'm amazed, Kuwabara. You haven't tried to ask her out on a date yet," he commented, casually putting his hands in the pockets of his green uniform.

"Shut it, Urameshi!" Kazuma yelled over his shoulder fiercely before turning back to her, acting as though he never shouted. "So, what's the matter?"

Kagome was cursing herself, she really was. Tears were starting to escape her eyes as the throbbing pushed its way to her head, pounding against her skull mercilessly. She cursed herself for being so weak. "My back…it's…" Her voice tapered, and her smoky midnight eyes closed tightly to resist the urge to whimper. Sweat was forming on her brow, the blanket encasing her to the heat that her body seeped with the racing of her heart.

"Kuso! I forgot about your pills!" she heard Kazuma exclaim, and then the sounds of his footsteps faded as they headed upstairs to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. Another set of steps, lighter than Kazuma's were, came closer to her. Kagome opened her eyes, seeing that the other boy had moved nearer. He had not halted when she unfastened her lids, but instead kept going until he was able to pull the blanket away, folding it over at the waist.

"You looked hot," he justified, stepping back. Kagome just nodded, her eyes softening at the gesture she doubted was a common occurrence, as Kuwabara returned with two capsules and a glass of water. He put them on the coffee table and pulled her carefully into a seated position not letting her back hit anything. She saw the other guy—Urameshi, she thought Kazuma called him—watch the actions with a critical eye.

"Here," Kazuma said as he pushed the pills into her delicate hands. She placed them on her tongue and accepted the glass of water as it was placed to her lips, sipping the clear liquid gratefully as it aided the consumption of the medication. The glass was set aside on the table.

"Thanks," Kagome whispered, moving back to her previous position. Sighing contentedly, she felt the effects of the painkillers take action. The room remained silent, something for which she was grateful, and as soon as the pain was no more than a burdensome headache, the miko opened her dark, smoky-azure eyes again to assess the stranger.

The slicked-back, jet-black hair held a bit of a green sheen to it when the light hit it a certain way and helped to give him the hardened punk appearance. Dark chocolate eyes blazed with false annoyance, more for show than anything else, but held undercurrents of curiosity and concern. His green school uniform accented his features, bringing out the tan-ness of his skin and the firm muscles beneath his clothes.

"I'll go out on a limb here and say that something is wrong with your back?" he smirked. Not in the mood for witty banter, Kagome simply nodded.

"Who are you?" the miko asked, her voice thankfully sounding a bit stronger, but her throat remaining horribly sore. The teenager walked over to an armchair within her line of vision and plopped down.

"Urameshi Yusuke. And you?" Yusuke queried.

"Kagome," she answered. Kagome could see the large aura surrounding his body, giving testament to the power she was sure he was packing. The blue energy flamed around him unrestricted; she could see how he would be the leader of this 'Reikai Tantei'.

Yusuke eyed her curiously. "What happened?" he asked, gesturing to her back with a jerk of his head. Kagome winced at the question, but knew that she'd have to talk about it someday. Why not now?

"Someone attacked me," she answered vaguely. There, she talked about it. Hey, it didn't mean that she had to go into detail. She looked up and noticed that Yusuke seemed to be aware of her unwillingness to describe.

Instead, he pointed to Kazuma. "And you met the idiot…?"

"Hey!" Kuwabara exclaimed indignantly.

"When he found me, after everything happened," Kagome finished, a veiled look of offense in her eyes. She snuck a glance at Kazuma and noted that his anger was a pretense for the most part and relaxed. Maybe it was just how they got along? The miko turned her head to her not-so-handsome hero with a heart of gold and smiled. "I owe my life to Kazuma."

The statement held more than just one meaning to it, but only Kazuma would actually pick up on that. If he hadn't shown up when he did, she would have purposefully fallen in that river. Whether or not she would have drowned was pending, since Midoriko practically reassured pseudo-immortality because she was the guardian of the Shikon no Tama, and it wouldn't let her die anytime soon.

Unbidden, a yawn captured Kagome, drawing attention to her. The painkillers had the nasty side effect of drowsiness, and if it weren't for the fact that they actually worked she would have forgone them and used some of her healing herbs.

"You wanna go to bed?" Kazuma asked. "Urameshi's gonna be staying for a while and ya could get more sleep in your room."

Kagome could tell that he wanted to talk to Yusuke alone, probably about their jobs and what attacked her, and he didn't want to risk it if she had no clue what was happening. But, really not willing to press the issue, she nodded. Kazuma pulled her into the same position he did when giving her the medicine, and lifted her easily into a similar position that Shizuru used, trying not to be offensive and not let where his hands held her be perceived as perverse.

"Bye, Yusuke," Kagome said as Kazuma carried her out of the room.

"See ya, Kagome," he returned, giving her a bit of a wave.

§

Once Kazuma left the room, Kagome quickly pushed her hand under the pillows and retrieved the Jihi no Kiseki. The sword almost seemed to hum with joy as her hand came in contact with its sheath, making her wonder just how much personality it had.

She brought it close to her side, letting herself get smothered in the comfort it offered to her, like a true friend. Things were starting to take shape but so much was left uncertain.

When would Kikyou show up? How much has time changed her since they last saw each other? How much more tainted did she become? Kagome understood that Kikyou was as much a victim in this as all the souls lost to her, but it wouldn't make it much easier to destroy her. When Kikyou was alive, she was kind, generous, and strong. That clay model of her that existed today was muddying her memory.

_It's so sad,_ Kagome thought as she fell into slumber. _I feel bad for Kikyou, too._

§

"Are you going to tell me what happened when you met her or are you going to keep it a secret?" Yusuke asked Kuwabara when the other guy returned. Kuwabara glared at him before falling back onto the couch Kagome had been laying on no less than three minutes ago. The detective took in the battle waging in Kuwabara's eyes. Finally, the war was settled.

"I felt her energy while I was walking home, and I decided to see what it was. You felt it, Urameshi. It's so…not dirty, and it actually made me feel better the closer I got. When I did see her, she was standing on the bridge a few blocks away. I came up behind her and saw her back.

"It was really messed up; I was amazed that she didn't die from blood-loss. And she was so sad. I'm pretty sure everyone she cares about is dead. I don't know what I did really, but after talking to me for a while, she fell back and I caught her," Kuwabara told him.

Yusuke was silent for a moment. It would certainly make sense for her to want to die if the people she cared about were gone and she was injured. "What hurt her?"

Kuwabara scratched the back of his head. "Damned if I know for sure but sis thinks that it might have been a youkai, but if it was then wouldn't Koenma have told us about it by now?" he pondered.

Unable to stop himself, Yusuke thought, _So this is what Kuwabara looks like when he's thinking…_ Shaking his head clear, he returned to the subject at hand. "Probably, but I'll check with Kurama and Hiei later to see if they picked up on anything. The Jagan could have found a demonic energy easy enough," the detective suggested.

But still, he couldn't shake the feeling that the girl was hiding something.

§§§§§

**A/N: I know, I know. It was crap, but review anyway and tell me what you thought. Make my paperclip happy in the very least.**


	3. Enigma

**A/N: I'm so sorry it took so long to get this sucker out. (grumbles about stupid laptop and not letting her log in) But anyway, enough of my rambling. Thank you so much for the reviews! You guys are so awesome!**

**I love: **silvertigerlil (My muse is a paper clip); Dark Ice Kitsune; KitsuneMistressoftheYoukai (you'll see); dawnstar28 (Thanks, and language isn't an issue with me, I have a potty mouth smiles); KC; the-geek (Wow, huh? I hope I don't leave you hungry); FoxylilRaven (I'm focusing on this story cuz I actually got an idea going. But I'm also redoing the first chapters of Muted Words that I feel need work, so updating is stagnant for a while. Luv ya); sessywuver (I know, I hate required shit, too); lraine; Ame-Atsume; Alaina Isake The Kira'Sha'Tect (Crazy chipmuck, never heard that one before...); Drachegirl14; kiwi93089 (takes cookie); kitsunekilala; lil'lostsoul; IceFireSilverGoldDragon; mejessit; skittles-chan; ParadiseNdarkness; Shera of the Flame (Check the summary dear)  
**Iridescent Twilight**: You're a pyro too? (I'll trade you a pen for a lighter.)  
**Fluffy's Brevis**: I seem to have a thing for unusualness. My first story (Muted Words, not a crossover, InuKag, I'm redoing the first chapters) has Kagome and Kouga as cousins.  
**Seer of Light and Fire**: I'm going to try and answer your question without giving it away. It involves a certain baby and a certain competition.  
**Wind flow lady**: This is about one thousand more words than before, I hope you like it!  
**Ryukotsusei**: I thought we agreed that sleep is over-rated. Oh well! It's getting hard to keep the characters in character. Paperclips are excellent pets, my muse is a paperclip. I named him Sandwich, but his nickname is Sex (it's so funny when people hear me say, "I can't find my Sex!"). And we're all allowed moments of stupidity, it's always a good laugh.  
**Kite**: I'm taking my time, not trying to rush it and all. You know, like:&& Hiei saw her standing underneath the tree he was seated in and felt an odd pull at his heart. _'I...I love her,'_ he thought, looking at the girl he had onlyknown for an hour.&& I'm going to take my time and let it develop. I hope you like how it turns out!  
**kogas-mate**: I've never read a Kuwa/Kag (probably because most people make him a blundering idiot) but I'm willing to write one. Was that a silence request?  
**Kagome259**: I can't wait to see your story.

**Disclaimer: I own this really cool paperclip that is shaped like an electric guitar. But I do not own InuYasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, or my amazing collection of stolen pens.**

//The Phoenix\\

§Enigma§

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious."

--Albert Einstein

The sun dragged beyond the horizon, setting the sky aflame with bright crimsons, golden yellows, brilliant oranges, and hints of vibrant pinks and purples. The spring air was chilled inside the park, but Yusuke couldn't care less.

He had known Kagome for three days now, and he was glad to say that her condition was improving. Now, she was able to sit against her back so long as what she was leaning on was soft, and she could move around without anyone carrying her, using some sword that randomly appeared as a crutch.

The sword was mystifying to the detective. It gave off an aura as though it were alive. It felt calming, soothing, and a bit invigorating, like an energy drink and a sedative wrapped in an oak sheath. Kagome refused to give much information concerning it; just that it was her's and that it was very special. None of them had much of the heart to ask further when they saw her cuddled against it in her sleep.

Kagome herself mystified Yusuke as well. She was so amazingly kind, but was so sad at the same time, even though she hid it rather well. She confused him and intrigued him, but most importantly she accepted him. People often turned away when they heard of whom he was and the things that accompanied his name, but she didn't care about that. When he asked her why, she merely offered one of her small, saddened smiles and her abused voice whispered, "_I know that the past is never the same as the future, and that people are more than capable of change. I'm not going to hold your previous actions above your head: you deserve more credit than that. I trust you._"

Her answer had amazed him into shock, paralyzing his vocal chords until Kuwabara's entrance into the room snapped him from his reverie. At the time, she had known him for only a day, and now it had been three, and she has not retracted her statement, or denied its validity. Kagome trusted Yusuke, how could she be so unquestioning? So… empathizing?

Uncommon to his usual nature, Yusuke found himself talking with her, sharing some of his secrets and unknowingly seeking the younger woman's guidance. He told her of his worries with Keiko, that maybe he wasn't good enough for her with his drunkard mother and deplorable reputation, not to mention his dangerous and sometimes time-consuming job—which he never actually put a specific name to except 'my detective job'. She told him that all love has its obstacles, and everything has its price; that if it was worth it, truly worth it, than there was nothing to worry over. She also stressed quite heavily on the importance of trust, but closed herself off from further explaining. Perhaps a relationship she was in fell through because of a lack thereof?

_No,_ Yusuke answered himself. _If she trusts me with only a day of knowing me, than trust wouldn't be an issue with any relationship she's been in. Maybe it was someone that she knew?_

Yusuke knew a little bit about her, like the fact that she lives on a shrine, and that she was very knowledgeable of legends, having her late grandfather tell her the history of everything, but— because if he didn't know the history of something, he tended to get rather creative—she only listened closely to the ones she could verify from outside sources, like the scrolls in the storage room or the Internet.

Then there was the unavoidable subject of the fact that said grandfather, as well as the rest of her family, was dead. On his way home one evening about a week before he met Kagome, he glanced at one of the small televisions set on display in a shop as it broadcasted the news. Not one to particularly care for current events, he was prepared to leave when the screen changed to a picture of a young, smiling teenage girl with dark raven hair and striking blue eyes, unknown to him at the time, Kagome. Underneath the picture were a number and an address in that horrid yellow type. He had looked at it curiously, decided the girl was pretty hot, and went on his way home.

The next day, he walked around the city, enjoying his Spring Break, and settled himself on a bench by the subway enterance. The talk was buzzing about him, focused on the girl that mysteriously disappeared from a horrible car wreck on the main bridge. It was said that she was indeed in the car, the camera's placed on top of a stoplight to catch speeding and ran red lights clearly photographing her image in the passenger seat beside her mother, seatbelt buckled. When the family reached the uncrowded bridge, a large semi-truck crashed into them from an angle, forcing them violently over and practically through the guardrail, shattering all the glass and causing them to plummet into the murky waters of the river beneath. The car was retrieved but the family was dead, still sitting in their seats. The girl was missing, but her seatbelt was still intact with no possible way for her to escape it. She had been claimed to be alive until proven dead, or until a month has passed, whichever came first.

Now, despite the twelve that he got on his science test in junior high, Yusuke was by no means a complete dolt. It was just that his knowledge resided in a less academic setting. He could easily put one this and one that together, and get an accurate conclusion, though to say 'two this-that' wouldn't sound very matur—

"Hello there, Yusuke. You seem to be deep in thought," someone mused. Yusuke turned sharply to discover that the intruder to his 'thought time' was none other than one of his teammates.

"Oh, hey Kur—Shuuichi," he corrected, gazing at all the people around him. It's not like any of them are going to care, but it was better safe than sorry. Yusuke paused and mentally snorted at that. _As if I ever put much testament to that cliché._ Both Kurama and Hiei had denied feeling any unusual youki when he asked three days ago, like he told Kuwabara he would. It was disheartening, but made Kagome even more confusing than ever. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that she was the victim of a demonic attack: the wounds were described as thick, long and spontaneously placed. There wasn't much in the Ningenkai that could cause something 'thick' cut-wise. Noticing that his partner was raising an eyebrow at him, he grinned sheepishly. "So, how's it going?"

The older teenager looked as if he wanted to roll his emerald eyes, but instead settled for running a hand through his long crimson locks and offering a half-smile. "I'm well. I was just heading home from the library. And you?" Kurama asked.

Yusuke shook his head, a wry smile on his face. This fox was as tricky as they come, and it was only from working with him for four years that he was able to detect the hidden question: "Where were you coming from?"

"Ahh, I'm pretty okay; confused as hell, but pretty okay," Yusuke admitted, taking a seat on the bench nearby, putting the unasked question on the back-burner for the time being. He wanted some sort of an answer, and he couldn't ask Kagome since she was essentially the _question_. He could trust Kurama, and Kami knows that the fox loved puzzles.

Kurama took a seat beside him, passively waiting for him to continue.

"There's this girl," he started, but immediately winced at how that sounded. "Let me rephrase, there's this person, who happens to be female, and said person, while very nice to talk to, is a completely baffling me. She, because this person _by chance_ is a girl, is really sad by the fact that she lost her family last week and perhaps even more people she cares about more recently than that, and not to mention was…is…has…whatever…been hurt, pretty serious from what I could see," he added in a soft tone, quite differently from the slightly rushed and irritable voice he displayed earlier. Shaking his head to clear it, Yusuke continued, looking at his shoes.

"She's also amazingly kind, and so trusting. But here's the thing: I have the feeling that there's something she's not telling, something really important. I mean, when Kuwabara found her, she didn't have any weapons, but then the next day, she has this sword, and none of us want to take it away because it actually makes her a bit…happy. And it's not like its causing massive destruction or anything, but…dammit! Why does this have to be so confusing?" he exclaimed. He gripped at his hair before throwing his upper body back, straightening his spine. A soft chuckle caused him to snap his head to the fox avatar. "And what the fuck is so funny?!"

Kurama merely shook his head in humor. "It is nothing to be defensive about, Yusuke. I merely find it curious that you're putting so much thought into it. And about a girl, no less," the redhead explained, but paused at the sharp glare pointed his way. "Forgive me," he added jestingly, "a person who just so happens to be female."

Yusuke sighed. "But it's not only the sword, it's her aura. She doesn't have a single dark spot on it. It's like she's…she's…"

"Pure?" Kurama supplied.

"Yes! I've never met anyone that pure before; even Yukina has a bit of darkness to her. Sure, it's practically nonexistent, but it's still there. This girl has nothing!" Yusuke rubbed his fingers against his closed eyes, as though trying to push away a migraine.

"Nothing? Perhaps she is a miko…?" Kurama pondered, his eyes widening.

Yusuke stopped himself at the idea. "A miko? You mean like someone that used to go around and kill youkai?" he asked, recalling something Genkai said. The detective noted that the kitsune's eyes were unfocused, occasionally slipping from emerald green to molten gold, then reverting back again.

§

Kurama sat still, conversing with Youko inside his head. _'A miko? Here?'_ he questioned.

"_It is rather odd," _Youko contributed. _"Mikos, true mikos, are believed to have died out. True, there are the sporadic mikos, but none of them could ever amount to anything that could rival a fly youkai."_

"Essentially yes, but the way you described them makes them sound fictional, when they were very real before the separation of the worlds," Kurama began to explain to Yusuke. "A miko is a woman with extraordinary spiritual power, but it differs from the kind that you and Kuwabara use. It contains a purification energy that enables it to instantly destroy a youkai by cleansing them of any taint. While it was true that they often used arrows or swords as a primary weapon, some of them were strong enough to focus her power into a physical appearance, similar to what you do with your own energy, Yusuke.

"However, most mikos were situated at a village, which they were charged with protecting, so they didn't simply 'go around'. Very few mikos actually traveled. The most notable one who did would be the Jun-Namida no Miko, but she traveled to collect the Shikon Jewel shards with her group: Densetsu no Gumi."

'_But is it likely that this girl is a miko?'_ Kurama asked internally.

"I doubt it. If there were a miko with potential close by, Koenma would be sending us off to either convince her to train or charge her with some bogus spiritual crime and make her pay off her debt by joining the Reikai Tantei, then force her to train. A strong miko would be an undeniably useful ally," Youko reasoned. 

"What's the Shikon Jewel?" Yusuke questioned. "I think my history teacher was talking about it the last time I went to school."

"It is an artifact of great power that can grant a wish of its bearer. Back in the Sengoku Jidai, before the barriers when youkai roamed free, a youkai or a ningen could use the power of the Shikon to increase his or her own power by at least a hundred fold. However, the jewel would also be sullied by the taint in the bearer's soul, amplifying that as well. In all truth, the Shikon no Tama could only bring tragedy to all who come in contact with it.

"It was created by the Great Miko Midoriko, who had the power to purify the souls of youkai. She was fighting against very powerful youkai for seven days and seven nights. When one of the youkai had her in its jaws, Midoriko reached into her chest, gripping her own soul and the soul of the demons she was fighting. What she pulled out was the Shikon.

"It traveled around for centuries until it rested in the village of the taijiya, yet they were unable to keep the jewel pure. They summoned a miko whose powers of purification were strong in the hopes that she would be able to keep the jewel from taint. This miko was able, so she returned to her village, where she would be forced to protect the jewel daily from youkai who seeked its power.

"The miko later fell in love with a hanyou, and managed to convince him to use the wish from the Shikon to become fully human, when he had originally sought the jewel to become a full-fledged demon…"

§

"Your back is healing fast," Shizuru informed her. Kagome was seated on the bathroom counter, her back to the mirror. She looked over her right shoulder to see her reflection.

It was a true statement; the huge gashes were almost completely healed after a week of healing, which was baffling as wounds such as these would take a normal human at least a month to heal as much. And while it was all well and good that she was healing, her eyes saddened at the fresh darkness of the scars that littered her pale flesh, and at the ones lightened with time on her arms. "I guess this means no more bikinis, huh?" she said in an attempt at a joke, and while her voice was fully recovered, it sounded more like a pitiful resignation.

Shizuru's light brown eyes watched her sorrowfully before the older woman held her carefully in an embrace. Kagome's eyes widened at the contact, not only because it was uncommon for Shizuru to do something like this, but also because she didn't really have any sort of coverage for her torso. "It'll be okay, so don't start feeling pity for yourself. If you do, be sure to know that I'll kick your ass until you stop, or you're too pissed at me to care about yourself. Besides, bikinis are over-rated," she said.

Kagome had to laugh at that. "Now that's the Shizuru I know," she whispered more to herself than anyone else. "I was worried you were going soft on me."

"Ha! As if," Shizuru exclaimed while pulling away from the miko. She grabbed the bandages and started to wrap them around Kagome. "You know, a woman could save a lot of money on bras this way."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't make breasts look bigger like a 'wonder bra' can, and some women like that," Kagome added.

"But no nasty cup sizes or uncomfortable under-wire," Shizuru countered, tying the knot on the bandages.

"Or stupid straps that either cut into your shoulder or make wearing a tube-top impossible," Kagome said. She pulled her shirt on, slid off of the counter and grabbed the Kiseki-Jihi from where it rested on the wall, using it to support the weight the rest of her could not. Shizuru opened the bathroom and led the way out. Eikichi, Kazuma's cat, was sitting outside the door, and meowed happily at the sight of the two young women. "Hello there, Eikichi. Were you waiting for us?" Kagome asked, slowly kneeling down to scratch the white cat with tan and black spots behind the ears. Eikichi purred in response and brushed against her leg with affection.

"I swear," Shizuru stated while helping Kagome back into a standing position, "this neko is just desperate for attention, and my stupid brother always gives it to him. He knows he's cute and he uses it to his advantage."

Kagome half-smiled at the older girl. "Kazuma is very kind-hearted, that's all. And stop acting like Eikichi is starting a conspiracy," she jokingly admonished. "I know cats and conspiracies, they act all high and mighty, saying that they're going to resurrect their master at the cost of—" Kagome stopped herself when Shizuru raised an eyebrow at her, about all that she would do to show that she was wondering what the hell was being said. Kagome nervously scratched the back of her head with her free arm. "Sorry, there's this story from one of the legends I know where this band of cat…I mean panther youkai were trying to bring back their grand master, and were planning on using the souls of about a village worth of people as a sacrifice. Sometimes I get carried away…"

Shizuru lowered her eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders, walking towards the living room where Kazuma was sitting on the couch. "Whatever floats your boat, kid," she said. She looked over her shoulder towards Kagome, her eyes softening a bit from her usual monotony. "But I'm glad you're cheering up some, Kags. I think I like you better when you're not moping."

Kagome leaned tenderly against the wall so she could cross her arms over her chest. "I do not mope," she pouted. Shizuru smirked and continued down the steps.

"Yeah, sure."

The miko followed down the stairs, coming into the living room to find Kazuma sprawled out on the couch drinking a soda and watching television. Shizuru deftly stole the remote control from the slack grip he had on it and, ignoring the cry of indignation, changed the channel to the news. Kagome took a seat in one of the plush chairs silently, watching the siblings with amusement.

"—Two weeks have passed since the tragedy of the Higurashi family, and no word of the young Kagome's survival has been sent," the anchorman said with a professional flare. The Kuwabaras and Kagome froze and turned to the screen. "There are still two more weeks until the young woman will be pronounced as dead and the shrine is auctioned off to the highest bidder.

"For those of you are just hearing about this story, the family of Higurashi shrine was traveling peacefully down a bridge when a large semi-truck crashed into the car, forcing the family over the bridge and into the river. The car was retrieved and the bodies of the family, all except for the girl, were found inside, still seat-belted in their positions.

"Investigators are baffled at the strange disappearance of seventeen-year-old Higurashi Kagome, who was proven by photographs to be inside the car. Her seat belt was still buckled and there was no sign of her being able to slip out of it. It's like she just vanished without a trace.

"If anyone has seen her or heard a rumor about her whereabouts please call this number or visit the Tokyo Police Department to report your information."

The television blinked off, but Kagome was still staring at the screen with wide eyes. She could hear Kazuma and Shizuru stand and kneel on either side of her, but she was frozen in place.

"Kagome? Kagome, you in there?" Kagome heard Kazuma speak, but it was strangely muffled, as though she was listening to an old record; and she could see the hand waving in front of her, but nothing truly registered in her mind.

"The…the shrine…auctioned off?" she finally managed to say, though her voice was dazed. "Jii-chan's shrine…? My _home_…?"

"Kagome, don't worry. We'll go to the police station tomorrow and set everything straight, I promise," Kazuma swore from his place on her left.

"We're not about to let some smelly old jackass take your home, Kags," Shizuru said, standing. "Come on, you gotta get some sleep." She helped the miko stand and placed the Kiseki-Jihi in her right hand, shivering slightly at the feel that it left in her own.

Kagome nodded, grasping her sword tighter and starting for the stairs. "Thanks," she whispered. She made her way to her room and closed the door behind her.

§

"Are you sure that you wouldn't rather sit down, Wakamusha?" Midoriko asked, kneeling next to the pacing young woman. "Tell me, what bothers you?"

Kagome halted. Her legs crumpled beneath her and her head bowed under the stress she felt, her raven hair covering her face. "I can't lose the shrine, it's the last thing I have," she murmured. "Jii-chan made it his entire life. He cared for it like a child! I refuse to let it get bartered off to the highest bidder like it was some sort of antique vase!" Her fist punched the ground, leaving a notable crater before the ground mended itself.

"I see you're getting the hang of your powers," Midoriko said, smiling. "Perhaps you should start working on a technique? It will no doubt help you to clear you're head so you can actually focus on the shrine business." Kagome raised her head, cocking it to the side in confusion at the answer. "If you focus too hard on what may happen to your home, you will be unable to do anything as the stress suffocates you. I say do something productive with your powers, so you can protect and fight to your fullest potential. Invent a technique, that way you don't have to feel like you are infamous for something in which you had no control."

Kagome stood and arched her back. Every night she had been talking to Midoriko, telling of her worries, one of which was the odd presence she had been feeling for the past four days, something dark but not threatening, and, more to the point, that she was noted throughout all of Makai, Reikai, and even some of Ningenkai for defeating Naraku at the cost of her dearest friends, not something she personally saw as a victory. She smirked and shrugged, "I guess you're right, and I think I have an idea for something, and it ironically has to do with something that you believed in.

"I've been told that everything is made of four basic components: aramitama, megimetama, kushimetama, and sakimetama. Aramitama is courage, megimetama is friendship, kushimetama is wisdom, and sakimetama is love. When combined, they create a soul—"

"And when they work in harmony," Midoriko interrupted, "it is called nyobi, which is a state that you yourself have reached. When a person does a bad deed, the soul energizes evil, and the soul can lose its way. How are you planning on using this philosophy, Wakamusha?"

Kagome smiled. In the time that she had been with Midoriko, she had grown fond of the nickname bestowed upon her. "Well, if it makes up everything, does that mean that one could join their powers with an element and work with it to one's advantage, like wind for instance?"

Midoriko laughed lightly. "You certainly are wiser than given credit for, Wakamusha! Yes, I believe that it is possible, but only if that person has reached nyobi and has a sufficient amount of spirit energy," she answered. "Why specify it to the wind though?"

The miko looked down and grinned fondly. "InuYasha used the wind in his attacks with the Tessaiga, and I also appreciate the blind faith that the wind gives. Never being seen, but always felt," Kagome said. "I know that I'm faster than most ningens and even some youkai when I'm running, but it tires me after a few hours and that could lead to my death, that is if I can die anyway. If I can skate the air currents, then human limitations, the ones that most demons mock us for, would be practically nonexistent, and you don't need to be a miko to do it, just a good soul with enough power, ningen or youkai."

Midoriko nodded. "It is an excellent idea. I say you start mastering it right away!" she said enthusiastically, standing on her feet and helping Kagome to her own.

"You mean here?" Kagome asked incredulously, looking around the glade. "Now?"

"But of course, Wakamusha! There is no better place than here. And, as your people say, 'No time like the present'," Midoriko grinned, her jade eyes dancing joyously. Kagome's smoky midnight eyes could not find the heart to argue at the sight of the older woman.

She felt Midoriko back away, giving her ample room to experiment. Kagome did what her many ponderings have concluded her to do. She was excited, she could admit. She had been thinking of doing this for a long time now, but she never had the control of her power to ever actually test it. In her mind, she had come up with what she figured would work the best, and now that hard work may pay off for more than wishful thinking.

The miko closed her eyes, concentrating on the energies of the wind that billowed around her, and reach within herself to what she manifested to symbolize her energy: a peaceful ocean. She brought her power forth and merged it seamlessly with the wind, then forced it to her feet. The rush of wind at her heals shocked her and almost broke her concentration, but she held. She opened her eyes to see herself floating, the wind beneath her happily dancing with the grass. Azure orbs widening, she gave an experimental glide forward as though she were ice-skating, and stopped herself in much the same manner.

Smiling widely, she moved swiftly towards the applauding Midoriko. "I did it; I actually did it, Midoriko-sama!" Kagome said gleefully, the happiest she's been in the past two weeks.

"Hai, you did quite well," Midoriko praised.

"Thank you, but that was kind of…you know…" Kagome struggled to find the correct word, "…easy," she settled on. Midoriko laughed and shook her head in humor.

"Considering most techniques are accidents developed into something more professional, I think that you did a truly superior job. You underestimate your power, Wakamusha. It has almost no limit and you are only cracking the surface, but I shall explain that later. Now, to see if you're a master, can you do it again? And can you use some other elements as well?"

Kagome repeated her actions with the wind, gliding along the currents with surprising ease. She stopped herself and held out her hand curiously. She brought her focus to the ground, felt for the energies of aramitama, sakimetama, megimetama and kushimetama and brought forth her own energies, combined them and raised her hand. The earth rose from the surface and went where her hand willed it. Kagome smirked.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this."

§

Kagome was seated in a chair before him, yawning slightly since she only woke up thirty minutes ago. "I want to go with you to the police station," he stated with no room for argument. She gave him a tired smiled of appreciation.

"I know, Yusuke. Thanks," she said. Then, she looked down at her clothing. "Not to sound like an immature, self-obsessed pubescent teenage girl, but I don't have anything to wear."

Yusuke and Kuwabara let out a bark of laughter, immensely enjoying the playful side that Kagome was sharing, not that they didn't like her usual "calm, wise, and cool but kind and not bitchy yet still amazingly mature for her age" attitude. After both men settle from their mirth, the detective looked at her with a speculative gaze. "Could you stand up for a second?" he asked, slightly gruff but strangely compassionate.

Kagome consented, grasping her odd sword and straightened. Yusuke took some mental measurement, comparing them to a certain girlfriend of his. "Well, you're definitely more…umm…petite? Yeah, that's the word, but your bustier…" he noted.

"Hey!" Kuwabara yelled, standing over Yusuke in what could be perceived as a threatening manner. "You can't say that about Kagome!"

The detective rolled his eyes. "Shut up, baka, it's practically a compliment. And what would you rather I say? I don't think she'd prefer 'But your tits are bigger,'" he argued back.

"I'm still here, you know!" Kagome interrupted. "Can you please stop talking about my breasts?" The two men froze, looking at her in surprise. "Greatly appreciated," she murmured sarcastically. "Now, who are you talking about, Yusuke?"

Yusuke had to shake his head of the wonder at the tone in which the question was asked: as though the whole spat about her boobs never took place. "Uhh…my girlfriend," he answered.

"Keiko?"

"Yeah, I was thinking that you could borrow her clothes since she's closer to your size than Shizuru," Yusuke explained. "I could go to her house now since it's Sunday." He grinned as Kagome seemed to perk up.

"And she's close to my size?"

Yusuke snorted. "Closer than Shizuru, that's for sure."

It took all of nine and a half minutes to get to Keiko's house, but the challenge would be in how to ask without seeming like a cross-dresser. _Okay, so 'Can I borrow some of your clothes?' is definitely out of the picture. She would ask why and I would say, ''Cause I'm a closet transvestite. Oh, and while your at it can you through in some blue eye shadow and some dark red lipstick?' I know! I'll say, 'A friend of the baka's needs some clothes and you're the closest to her size. Can you let _her _borrow some?' Yes! That's what I'll say,_ he decided. With a firm nod, he rapped his knuckles loudly on the door before him.

Thankfully, Keiko answered, but she was slightly surprised at his arrival. "Yusuke, what are you doing here?" she asked. The detective took a deep breath, prepared to say his carefully constructed question.

"Can I borrow some of your clothes?" It took a moment, but finally he realized what he said at the widening of Keiko's eyes.

'…Aww, shit.'

§

The barest upturn of the corner of his mouth was all that showed his amusement at the detective's situation. His crimson eyes still remained quite emotionless, but even he, Hiei, could not hold back the mental snort that escaped.

Kurama had said to keep an eye on the detective until he found the strange girl—no, Red specifically said the "person who happened to be female", and for some reason he found the statement amusing—and then he was to keep an eye on her to determine whether or not she was a miko. At the time, the apparition might have laughed if it were in his character. The mere notion that a miko, a full-out kick-ass purifying miko, could exist today was utterly preposterous, as they have died out centuries ago. The only ones who might still be alive were the kuromikos, and only because they cheat death on a day-to-day basis.

However, now he wasn't so sure that it was all that absurd. The onna, that person who just so happen to be female, was releasing a truly pure aura. Correction, she was releasing a truly pure and very much shrouded aura and he couldn't seem to penetrate either the shield on her power or the shield on her mind. The most he got from her was too blurry to distinguish between memory and nightmare: the cold, soft face of a young kit, its teal eyes glazed and empty in death, and blood flowing constantly from a large gash on his neck.

He refused to tell Fox about the vision, unwilling to face the rage because of the might be dead kitsune. If there was anything that the Youko in his head held dear, it was family, or at least a kitsune family. Children are very well protected, and never seen as young as the kit was far away from the den where guard was risked. Yes, it was a good decision to keep that small part to himself.

But still, why did it sound so familiar to him?

§

Pale, delicate hands caressed the reflecting glass. A beautiful but malicious false laughter rang through the dark barren forest. Dull brown eyes glanced at the barrier before picking up the round mirror, and traced the obstruction gently. A dark purple and black outlined the rip in the glowing yellow structure, and the maiden, dressed in red hakamas and a black haori, stepped through, but failed to notice the red-eyed neko and her elderly companion slip through as well.

The tear mended itself, but the woman found that unimportant. Pulling her long black hair back with a red ribbon stained so with blood, she turned the mirror away from her and released about three-dozen of her pale green soul collectors. "Go my pets," she whispered, turning the mirror towards her in something that was almost affectionate. "Bring me the souls of the dead." Her subordinates heeded her word, spreading out to do her bidding.

She chucked again, sweeping a finger across the glass once more. Her reflection changed, the image swirling into a birds-eye-view into a room containing an orange-haired teenage male and a young, raven-haired beauty. "Soon, my _dear_ incarnate," the woman swore, glaring at the girl, "I will have my soul back soon."

§§§§§

**Densetsu- Legend**

**Gumi- Group (at least that's how I'm translating it)**

**Review please! **


	4. The Harvest of Souls

**Disclaimer: I own this really cool paperclip that is shaped like an electric guitar. But I do not own InuYasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, or my amazing collection of stolen pens.**

//The Phoenix\\

§The Harvest of Souls§

"Death most resembles a profit who is without honor in his own land or a poet who is a stranger among his people."

--Kahlil Gibran

"No, seriously, I'm not at all bitter about the fact that you clubbed me with a frying pan, a _hot_ frying pan, more times than I can remember," Yusuke grumbled, glaring at the apologizing girl next to him. His pride refused him the opportunity to rub the bumps on his head or the slightly burned side of his face from the contact with the heated cookware. "Really, I forgive you," he added for good measure, though it still managed to sound sardonic.

"I mean it! I really am sorry!" Keiko persisted, clutching a bag full of her smaller clothes. Puu stuck his head out at the added pressure, but neither Yusuke nor Keiko paid him much mind as he usually found some way to be somewhere he probably should not. The small blue spirit beast looked slightly frazzled from being hidden in a pile of clothes. "It's just that the way you asked…" she let the sentence trail before picking up a different one. "And how was I to know that the frying pan was hot?"

Yusuke turned to his girlfriend, fixing her with a slightly bewildered glare and a raised brow. "Well, for one it was on the stove," he pointed out, his voice eerily calm. Puu was looking at Keiko dubiously, reflecting the inner-Yusuke.

"That doesn't mean that it was necessarily on!" Keiko defended.

"Then there was the fact that there was a _sizzling_ omelet sitting on top."

"…"

"Oh," the detective continued, "and let's not forget that you were the one holding the spatula and wearing the 'Kiss the Cook' apron."

"…I told that I'm sorry though! What do I have to do to get you to forgive me?" his girlfriend pleaded. He looked at Keiko for a long moment before sighing.

"First thing you can do is swear on your life that you will never use cooking utensils for something that they aren't made for," he bargained.

Keiko readily nodded. "Of course, I promise." Yusuke smirked slyly.

"What do you promise?" he asked, the hints of childish teasing clearly audible.

Keiko sighed and rolled her eyes. "I, Yukimura Keiko, swear upon my life to you, Urameshi Yusuke, to never use cooking utensils outside of their initial purposes ever again in my natural born existence," she swore, crossing her arms over her chest as best she could while holding a bag. "Happy?"

"I don't know," Yusuke said slowly. "You didn't sound very meaningful…" Keiko glared at him, the promise of a painful demise clear in her deep cinnamon orbs, "…but I suppose it will due!" he quickly amended. Keiko humphed and turned her head to the side. "You also have to make me a dinner whenever I ask for thirteen weeks."

"What? Why thirteen?" his girlfriend demanded. Yusuke smirked again.

"Simple, that's the number of times I actually remember being hit."

§

The sharp staccato of knuckles against wood rang throughout the living room. Kagome shot up from her light doze, curious as to when exactly she fell asleep. Kazuma stood to answer the door, exiting to the hall. She heard the entry open before the loud laughter of her host overtook all other sounds.

"Dammit, Kuwabara! Shut the fuck up!" Yusuke's voice boomed over the mirth. Kagome looked at the threshold to the living room in confusion, waiting for someone to pass through and hopefully then she would get an idea of the happenings outside her vision. Her patience was well rewarded.

"I suppose you're gonna laugh, too," Yusuke accused, arms folded crossly over his chest. Kuwabara's laughter thoroughly pissed him off, and he'd be damned if he had to hear it from anyone else.

Kagome was rather shocked at his appearance. The left side of his face was red with first-degree burn, and his head was littered with bumps made of blunt force. "What happened to you?" she asked, rushing to stand up, immediately regretting it at the sharp pain that spread throughout her back and she fell back into her chair. Her eyes were closed when she felt pain, but her senses felt Yusuke and Kazuma come up near her, and a smaller energy—feminine—standing behind and feeling very uncomfortable, and another energy almost identical to Yusuke, but it was more…bird-like and was without the human element. She shook her head to clear it and opened her eyes.

Azure eyes took upon the young woman in the corner. Dark brown eyes met her gaze, and her peripheral vision caught matching hair, not as long as hers but still well passed the shoulders. Kagome was definitely shorter, but was more developed—she snorted mentally when she realized that Yusuke was pretty much dead on in his presumptions, as embarrassing as it is to admit. Kagome glanced at the bag the other girl was clutching, noticing the clothes that were peeking over the top. She moved her gaze from the girl to Yusuke, which brought her attention to the blue creature on his head.

It was small, only about perhaps thirty centimeters tall, with somewhat dark blue feathers covering its body, but a small powder blue above his stomach. Its black eyes matched the tuft of hair on the top of its head, and his little beak mouth was a pale yellow like its feet.

Kagome looked Yusuke in the eyes before turning to look at Kazuma, then to the girl in the corner and back to the creature on Yusuke's head. Her mind quickly assessed the fact that the girl didn't seem surprised to see the penguin-like animal and took that as a good sign that it was safe to do what she had planned on doing before her wounds got in the way.

There were two things that Kagome prided herself on while in the Sengoku Jidai: barriers and healing. While training with Sango on becoming a taijiya, Miroku had _tried_ to educate Kagome on using her hama no reiyoku in battle. The problem is—and this is why mikos tend to learn from other mikos—that reiki and hama no reiyoku are different on more levels then the fact that one purifies. Hama no reiyoku is, apparently, very individualistic in nature; that is to say that it depends on the wielder how to use it and a miko can't really just be given a sensei and hope for the best. So, while Miroku taught her very thoroughly how to control normal reiki, any and all attempts to do so with her hama no reiyoku quite literally blew up in her face.

Barriers came accidentally to her, but after repeated attacks and accidental shields, Kagome managed to produce one of her own volition, and became rather proficient at doing it. She had automatically set one on her mind, the ordeal with Goshinki far from forgotten. Healing, however, came to her naturally after breaking through on a bit of her untamed power.

Kagome brought her hands to Yusuke's face, gently gripping the sides of his cheeks. She grasped some of her power and separated the purification energy before bringing it to her hands. She was dimly aware of the surprised looks heading in her direction but paid them no heed as she released the violet aura into Yusuke's wounds, the color dark without the purity. The burn and bumps healed quickly with the encouragement Kagome provided, and she placed her hands down in her lap. Despite herself, Kagome smirked. "Oh yeah, I still got it."

Yusuke and Kazuma kept looking at her oddly, mouths ajar, trying to form words only to have them repeatedly die on their lips. The girl still looked surprised, but seemed to be handling it better than the guys when she asked, "How…did you do that?"

Kagome looked passed Yusuke to her, giving a small smile. "It's just some basic healing, or basic for me anyway. My brand of healing is different from the typical means that others use because of the nature of my energy. I'm Higurashi Kagome, nice to meet you. I take it you're his girlfriend?" she assumed, indicating to Yusuke who took a seat on the couch beside Kazuma.

"Yeah, my name is Yukimura Keiko," she bowed in greeting, before taking a seat next to Yusuke, nudging him in the ribs to snap him out of his daze. Kagome watched amused as he in turn roughly elbowed Kazuma.

"Why the hell did you do that, Urameshi?!" Kazuma yelled, rising to his feet in preparation for a fight. Yusuke stood as well, glaring at his friend, the blue creature toppling from his head before using its floppy ears to fly around the room, 'Puu'-ing excitedly.

"I wouldn't have had to do that if you had stopped staring, baka!" Yusuke shot back.

'Well, at least they're acting normally again,' the miko thought wryly, putting her hands over her eyes to rub any sleep still in them. A weight fell on her head and she froze in her actions, slowly trying to look up even though she knew it to be pointless. "What the…" 

"Puu!"

§

"It is official, my incarnate is a disgrace," Kikyo muttered. She looked away from the scene the Mirror of the Void was representing as four of her shinidamachuu returned, each with a soul of the dead. They released the souls and the kuromiko absorbed them eagerly. "It has truly been much too long since I felt the freshness of a newly dead human soul," she mused wistfully. The pale-green youkai danced around their mistress before flying off and disappearing in the sky, searching for more of her sustenance.

Kikyo stepped out of the trees that surrounded the park, letting the noon-high sun heat her clay skin. There were so many children around, so many young little souls rip for the picking. Taking a seat on a lone bench in the shade, her brown eyes narrowed as she observed the innocent youths. _I despise them,_ she thought vehemently. _They can live, age, love and be merry. I cannot._

Five hundred years she has wandered in melancholy, only receiving a small, sadistic amusement every time she extinguished the life of another, like those useless Reikai Tantei. Wouldn't that pitiful Koenma learn that she is above such petty means of defense?

It matters not though; she'll still hit them where it hurts. It would be entertaining.

She looked to the Mirror again, letting her energy flow to show her what she willed. Her reflection changed to show an older woman with brown eyes and long, ebony hair sitting in an office, going over forms and writing something down every now and then. "Hatanaka Shiori," Kikyo whispered. "I wonder how you will react to your son being sullied by a kitsune soul?" The dark priestess had a special hatred for foxes in particular, thanks to the kit that had meant the world to her incarnate. Dispelling the thought, she changed the image.

The scene of one Hatanaka Shiori at the office changed to that of a young girl with sea foam green hair and crimson eyes sweeping some dirt on the shrine steps. Her soft, pretty face accentuated with a peaceful smile that caused Kikyou to scowl. "And you, Yukina of the Koorime, how will you handle the fact that your dear brother is the murdering, thieving Forbidden Child? I think…I'll kill you in front of him. Kami knows that you should both suffer for being disgusting youkai," she accused. Instead of changing, the view simply moved over the shrine before locating an old woman meditating in the gardens. "Out of respect the exorcisms you have done, Genkai, I shall save you for last." Again, the image shifted.

"Urameshi Atsuko, drunk again I see," Kikyo spat at the image of the tipsy, yet pretty woman. _If I were a mother, I would have taken care of my child. Not let him associate with demons. You damnable woman…birthing a child with a bit of youkai blood. Disgusting._ She moved the image angrily to show a young woman cutting hair in a salon.

"Kuwabara Shizuru, you'll pay as well. How dare you help my youkai-loving incarnate? She deserves the death I can give her." And once again, the scene changed to show Kagome dressing with the assistance of one Yukimura Keiko. Kikyo chuckled darkly. "I'll give you until midnight to pull together your forces, Reikai, before I start my official harvesting."

§

The Tokyo Branch of the National Police Agency was a place that Kagome had never seen as foreboding before, but now it stood looming over her, daring her courage to enter. All day she has been feeling a pull at her heart, but passed it off as anxiety over this meeting.

Kazuma and Yusuke stood on either side of her, and for that she was grateful. They had long since ceased their quarrel and flanked her stoically like bodyguards. Kagome's first step was aided with the Kiseki-Jihi at her hand as a stabilizer, keeping her from wobbling.

Inside the station, officers were going over case files, chatting with teammates, and sipping coffee. Yusuke scoffed. "Figures, they act all tough when they're out on the streets but they get all chummy with their buddies between murderers and pick-pockets."

"Relax, Yusuke," Kagome whispered. "Police officers are people, too. Not everyone is out to get you." Her companions snorted in disbelief. She looked to them and frowned. "Well, I'm not out to get you," she promised quietly.

Yusuke smirked. "Making sweet pledges of alliance won't get you out of telling us how you healed my face," he murmured. Kagome smiled innocently.

"Who's hiding? I'm a miko," she said simply before stepping up to one of the receptionists, leaving two very shocked young men behind her. _Well, it was a pretty blunt answer,_ the miko amended as Yusuke and Kazuma moved to catch up with her. "Hello, I was wondering if it were possible to talk to the detective in charge of the Higurashi case?" she asked the woman pleasantly. The woman looked at her oddly.

"I'll have to ask you to give us the sword for your time here, miss," the receptionist, Sakiko if the nameplate was any indication, requested. Kagome's taijiya-trained eyes noticed that some of the officers had stopped their chatting and were going for their gun holsters. Suddenly feeling very stupid as to forget that she was using a sword as a crutch, the miko braced herself with her free hand on the desk before casting a quick illusion on the katana, inspired suddenly by the Tessaiga. She placed the sword on the desk with a sad smile. The receptionist looked at her curiously before asking, "Can you really use that?"

The miko allowed a small smirk to flash through her smile before returning it to its original state. Swordsmanship was one of her specialties, along with archery, and something that she rather excelled in, and she eventually surpassed Sango by branching out and taking the taijiya sword forms and the forms her father taught her before he died when she was eight to a whole new level with her other katana—though, admittedly, it was rather difficult not to with the additional…features that the Shinkirou had. "If you mean, 'Do you practice swordsmanship?' then yes. However, if you mean, "Can you use _this_ sword at _this_ given moment?' then no," Kagome answered cryptically.

The receptionist, as well as Yusuke, Kazuma, and all the other people listening to the happenings, looked at her oddly. "What do you mean?"

Kagome allowed her smile to widen. "Well, for one, this is a police station, and I don't fancy getting shot anytime soon. Then of course, there's the fact that this particular sword is completely useless in battle." It wasn't a lie, the Kiseki-Jihi was incapable of cutting down an enemy since it healed wounds and revived the dead, but if she said that then they would send her to the closest asylum and throw away the key. Instead, Kagome used the hand that placed the Jihi no Kiseki on the desk to click the hilt away from the sheath, exposing enough of what appeared to be a rusty old blade. "This katana couldn't cut wet paper.

"Finally, if you haven't already noticed, I'm kind of injured right now, so my mobility has been limited. You see," Kagome leaned over a bit to ease the pressure on her back, accidentally revealing some of her white bandages in her pursuit for comfort, "my name is Higurashi Kagome, and I was in a rather nasty car accident three weeks ago."

§

Chuckling mentally, Yusuke had to commend Kagome on her ability to capture the moment and bring forth anticipation. She was an amazing storyteller, he had already been told that, but now he had veritable proof. She even had him itching with anticipation over what her words would reveal when she answered the innocent question.

But what got him was Kagome's ability to cast illusions as though it were nothing. He felt the miniscule surge of power when Kagome placed her sword on the desk so he knew that what he was seeing now was not in fact what it looked like. If Kagome felt the need to place an illusion, then the katana must at least look threatening enough that it would be confiscated.

What also got him was that he could feel the _katana's_ unhappiness at being separated from Kagome as well as its joy when Kagome laid her hand on it to reveal the tattered blade, like it had a mind and will of its own. That sword would be the death of him, he swore.

Clearing his head of such revelations, Yusuke decided that Kagome had a lot more to explain about when they got out of there. A quick glance at Kuwabara told him that his friend was thinking along the same lines.

The officers seemed taken aback at the Kagome's statement and kept looking back at the smiling picture of her taped around the atrium—the same one that Yusuke saw on the news—and the paler, thinner version standing, quite alive, before them. The receptionist immediately stood and ran to get the detective. _Wonder why she didn't bother using the phone?_ the Tantei thought curiously.

He watched as Kagome looked around and, apparently seeing no threat, resheathed the odd sword and returned it to her hand for her walking purposes. She flinched slightly, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Kuwabara either, and proceeded towards a nearby chair. Just as she was about to seat herself, a man, middle-aged and donning a business suit, came running down to where they were, the receptionist following diligently behind and going back to her post at the desk.

"Higurashi Kagome-san?" the guy asked, moving a hand through his light brown, slightly graying hair. Kagome's cerulean eyes looked up into hazel before she nodded in affirmation. "Can you come with me, please?"

Kagome frowned before looking over to Kuwabara and himself. "Can they come, too?" she asked quietly. The detective looked over as well before frowning apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Higurashi-san, but this is a closed discussion. Regulation rules," he added at the miko's crestfallen face. Kagome sighed in resignation.

"You guys will be here when I come out, right?" she asked hopefully.

"We'll try to be. If not, I'll call Keiko to bring you to the shrine," Yusuke answered.

"Hopefully though, we'll still be here," Kuwabara added. Kagome gave them a small smile and let the detective lead her away.

§

Botan looked around curiously, wondering where the woman's soul was. It should still be here—there was no reason for it not to be—but she couldn't sense it. Frowning, she hopped on her oar again and floated away.

That was the third one the ferry girl encountered and it was…unnerving. Souls don't just disappear, and they usually stay inside, if not close by the body they inhabited. Slowly, she flew above the towering skyscrapers, pondering what to do about the new situation.

Doubtless, Koenma needs to know about the disappearances. _He'll be so furious,_ Botan concluded, _but maybe he'll know what's going on._ Mind made up, she prepared to make a portal when an odd pull came to her senses. Changing tactics, she followed her instinct and went after it.

She ended up deep within the wooded area of the park, when the energy finally stopped. She never felt anything like it, it didn't feel human, but it was unlike any youkai she ever felt as well. She wound her way through the trees before coming upon a clearing.

There were youkai, pale green and eel-like, floating around each other. Cotton candy pink eyes widened at the sight. Curious, she floated over to them when she felt herself change into her corporeal form. "What the…?" her question trailed as she looked at her solid hands before a twang was heard in the silence.

Pain blossomed in her right shoulder, unseating her from her oar. A shrill scream burned in her throat as a barrier formed itself around the clearing. Botan looked down to the source of her pain, only to see an arrowhead poking from her skin, blood soaking her pink kimono. When she raised her left hand to it she felt a crackle of energy and her fingertips were singed.

"I'm surprised," a voice softly called, "that you felt my little pets. I'll have to make sure that they are better shielded next time." Botan immediately turned to where the voice was heard, but saw nothing. "Am I correct that you work for that fool, Koenma?" it asked, and the ferry girl decided that she hated it and the emotionless arrogance it carried so gracefully.

"Who wants to know?" she interrogated angrily, still looking for the source. It was female, but it was also well hidden. She couldn't feel an aura, and her vision was blurring. The other woman laughed before Botan heard chanting and her vision faded all together. "W…what did you do to me?"

A rustle of leaves to the left brought her to face in the direction, though without her sight it was in vain. "It is but a simple spell only another with similar powers to mine can remove," the woman answered, gripping the arrow in her shoulder and roughly twisting it out. Botan released another loud cry before a slap moved her face to the side, silencing her. "Scream again and I'll blow your head off," the voice threatened as hands wrapped tightly around her neck, the same energy that forced her hand away from the arrow burning the tender skin raw. "Good girl," her captor patronized. "Now, I have a message for your precious Reikai prince. Tell him he only has until midnight before the Harvest begins. Repeat that for me."

"Only 't-t-till midnight before the…the H-harvest begins," Botan whimpered. A swift kick made contact with her stomach, charged with more of the same energy, forcing her to fly into a tree; the bark bit into her back as gravity forced her down.

"Farewell, servant of Reikai," the woman taunted mockingly, the voice fading as she vanished.

Botan groaned pathetically: her whole body throbbed with pain. The wind stung the exposed wounds with bitter vengeance. _I have to…get…to Ko…Koenma-sama._ The damage done to her body made it difficult to focus, but somehow she managed to create a portal beneath her before her consciousness abandoned her.

§

"Higurashi-san—"

"Kagome," she immediately corrected, before softly adding, "Please, call me Kagome." She shifted against the chair, finding the minimal padding a mite uncomfortable to her back.

"Kagome-san," Detective Hiroshi said, "I know that this must be difficult, but I need you to tell me everything that you know about what happened the day of the car accident."

Kagome sighed before simply leaning forward to avoid contact with the blasted chair. "Well, we were going to go to the movies as a family, which in itself was difficult because Jii-chan hates going to the movies. Mama managed to convince him though, saying it was based off of some legend…it wasn't, but it got him into the car. We were going to the theater, crossing over the bridge when the truck hit us." So far, Kagome hadn't been lying, but now she had to get a bit creative. She couldn't exactly say that she was somehow transported to Feudal Japan where her inu hanyou friend found her unconscious beside the well, which was probably the doing of the Shikon Jewel that was born in her body but was ripped from her side by a centipede youkai. That would float over just dandy. Yeah, right.

"Do you remember anything after that?" Hiroshi asked. His pen was moving quickly on a pad of paper, the information that would later form a formal report.

"Well, I remember bright lights, a scream, and then my back hurt before everything turned black. I woke up in a bed, my back still hurt," she answered simply, her left hand tightening around the Kiseki-Jihi.

"And the katana?"

_Uhh…_ "A good friend of mine gave it to me as a means of support." Again, it was not a lie, more like a vague truth. Vague truths were something she could do, but she was horrible at lying; her mother always used to tell when she gave them. Heartache was sitting heavily on her chest, but she mourned for her family in the Sengoku Jidai. So much death in such short time; was this how Sango felt when her village was destroyed?

When had death become so common for her to encounter? Her father was murdered when she was eight, but that was just a death, tragic, but rare. It must have been the Sengoku Jidai, it had to be. Before then, she was only slightly desensitized, but now…so many people, so many nameless faces…and she contributed to some of them.

That thought left a bitter taste in her mouth. Her hands were stained with blood, but it was unavoidable. She was in a world of kill or be killed, it can't be ignored…and it can't be forsaken. She was trained to kill, and she was good at it. She killed so she could live, so many more people can live. Death was so complicated.

But she's helped people too, can't forget that. She's killed demons that would hurt thousands of other people, and she always gave assistance when she was needed. Hell, that was how she became the Jun-Namida no Miko in the first place: she was needed to detect the shards and she did what her duty, her destiny, called for her to do.

It was a fact that she had already faced, some people just needed to die. It was predestined, written in the stars, and no matter how strong she was, or at least how strong she was supposed to be, she couldn't change fate.

Then again, she was given the Jihi no Kiseki for a reason, she was supposed to revive those who died, but shouldn't have; or was it that she was supposed to bring to life those who were truly good at heart? Kagome smiled humorlessly: life was complicated, too.

She didn't regret it though, she couldn't just regret the best years of her life. Before the well, she was just Kagome: moderately attractive with odd blue eyes, pretty good grades but unable to grasp the concept of Geometry. Now she was Kagome: Jun-Namida no Miko, Guardian of the Shikon no Tama, master archer and swordswoman, taijiya, former time-traveler, indirectly responsible for the creation of the three Worlds, creator of…that technique she still has to name, shrine maiden, healer, botanist, but still pretty bad at Geometry anyway. The latter was definitely a more appealing resume, even if she couldn't use it to get a normal job.

"…gome-san? Kagome-san, are you all right?"

Kagome started. When did she zone out? "I'm fine, just…thinking." She mentally rolled her eyes. How would the Detective Hiroshi react if he knew that, not only was the petite young woman before him a professional killer, but that she had a small epiphany in his sparsely decorated office while sitting on the poorly padded chair? Kagome sighed internally, too. _Just another thing that could put me in the mental institution…_

"Well, if you don't mind, we would like to have a photo documentation of the wounds on your back," Hiroshi said, offering her a hand up. Accepting it, Kagome let herself be assisted, hiding quite well the rising panic forming inside her.

Not only should the wounds on her back not be as healed as they are, but then there are the other scars on her side and the backs of her arms that are rather suspicious. How on earth is she going to explain the whole "My hanyou friend was forced into a demonic rage by a beautiful but evil hime and he gripped my arms without the presence of mind to know that his claws, yes claws, were breaking the skin…and then I kissed him to get him back to normal" thing? Kagome sighed aloud. _I really have to stop thinking in such big sentences._

§

Yusuke glared at the clock as if it was the reason Kagome had been gone for an hour and it was astoundingly boring. The officers kept looking at Kuwabara and him like they were expecting them to suddenly whip out guns and shoot them all to death.

_Damn cops._

So lost in ennui he was that the annoying ring of his communicator almost didn't register in his mind. However, that sound was by no means easily ignored. Grumbling as the officers stared more pointedly at him, he walked out of the building and to a nearby alley. Making sure that he was alone, he flipped open the compact and was met with the face of Koenma. "Whaddya want, toddler?" he asked despite the fact that Koenma stuck to his teenage form nowadays.

"Yusuke, I don't have time for this crap. Get to the roof of Sarayashiki High in no less then ten minutes, and bring Kuwabara, too. Kurama and Hiei are going to meet you. A portal should be there soon after," the prince explained.

"Why? What's goi-"

Koenma ended the disconnection. Scowling, Yusuke returned to the station. Kuwabara looked up with a question in his eyes. Nodding, the detective approached the receptionist. "Can I borrow you're phone?" Silently, the woman lifted said device onto the counter. Without saying thanks Yusuke dialed Keiko's number.

§

The wind billowed playfully through the soft red tresses, toying with them before a hand ran past, cutting off its play. The emerald eyes of one Shuuichi Minamino seemed to frown in thought as to the odd meeting he was about to attend. A crinkle of foreboding marred his otherwise calm exterior.

When Koenma had called him, Kurama had been skeptical. The Prince of Reikai rarely talked to them directly through the communicators; Botan was usually deployed to give messages.

Ah, Botan. She somehow managed to appeal to both the human and the fox that made up who he was. They were both slightly ashamed to admit it, but they harbored a little crush on the Death Deity. However, crush was such a superficial term used by children to give a name to petty, short-lived emotions. No, what he felt was far deeper than that, much more real.

"'_You're thoughts are quite disgusting,'_" Hiei chose to comment telepathically. Rolling his eyes, Kurama shook his head.

'_Love is far from disgusting, Hiei. When you fall in love, you will understand,'_ Kurama responded. Hiei, sitting cross-legged opposite of the avatar, lifted his head to the sky in defiance, staring at the sun with brazen confidence.

"'_Hn. I will never 'fall' for anything, Fox.'_" Youko perked at the reply.

"_That's what I used to think, too, but here I am…practically human yet still devilishly handsome. Oh, I love me."_ Both Kurama and Hiei sighed in exasperation.

"'_Narcissist,'_" the fire apparition accused.

"_I bet you're just jealous that my affections aren't being directed at you,"_ Youko continued, unheeding of the warning signals of in Hiei's aura. _"I mean really, who **wouldn't** want my-"_

Kurama was quick to stifle the kitsune spirit. Just because Youko chose to ignore the threat that was the Forbidden Child did not mean that he would. _'I apologize for him, Hiei. He's just angry that our time in the gardens was disturbed,'_ he explained.

Hiei glared in his general direction before returning to the sun, which was slowly being covered by a thick, fluffy cloud. After a few moments, a frown appeared on his face. "_'The day I find someone who could actually **love** me is the day I eat my bandana.'_"

Kurama frowned as well. He was expecting another "Hn" or perhaps just silence, but that response was not what he was prepared to hear. He knew that Hiei wasn't exactly a "happy person"—hell, he wasn't even really a "person"—but it was just that…the apparition seemed so…alone…so self-loathing. Didn't he know that he was fine the way he was? Maybe he should find someone like Botan? Okay, maybe not like _Botan_, as Hiei would be likely to cut her head off, but someone who could balance Hiei out and look beyond the fact that his past was rather dark. Just as he was about to share his thoughts with Hiei, Yusuke and Kuwabara bound into the scene with a loud, "Will somebody tell me why the fuck I'm here?!"

Kurama sighed: typical Yusuke. "We are not sure yet as to why Koenma summoned us, Yusuke," he answered. Standing, he stretched his back to remove the kinks before straightening. "The portal should be opening any moment. I'm sure Koenma will explain what is going on in due time." The raven-haired detective glared at him.

"That stupid toddler has us by the ba-" The portal they were awaiting appeared, cutting off the rest of Yusuke's obscene rant in the nick of time. Still grumbling, Yusuke stalked into the portal, the rest of the group following behind.

Walking calmly into the room, Kurama immediately noted the chaotic, apprehensive atmosphere and tensed. The giant screen that showed Koenma what was happening elsewhere seemed to have exploded, the remains in shattered pieces on the ground. The people around him consisted of frantic Reikai healers rushing to and fro, ogres of different colors running back and forth with large stacks of files filled with paper and paper to be filed, and one very anxious, very still Koenma sitting at his desk in his comfortable red chair staring at the swarm of healers with almost blank but so very wide brown eyes. He looked to be in shock.

Kurama turned slightly to see his teammates' reactions. Yusuke and Kuwabara both seemed taken aback by the display, probably expecting to see a relatively quiet office and a busy little Prince stamping papers irritably. Hiei's face remained impassive, but his clairvoyant crimson eyes were rapidly scanning the surrounding for threats; his actions told Kurama that the diminutive apparition was unprepared for the sight as well. Deciding to take a leaf out of Hiei's book, he discreetly sniffed at the air with his sensitive canine nose.

Koenma.

Panic.

Healers.

Anxiety.

Ogres.

…Pain…

…Confusion…

…Blood.

So much blood, but what was the cause? His kitsune curiosity waged his natural instinct that the answer to his question would deny him any sort of relief until he finally settled on just going ahead and to deal with the consequences later.

The Head Healer stood quickly from his place, wiping his bloodied hands on a moist towel. "We've done all we can Koenma-sama, but the energy around the wounds and her eyes won't allow for normal pneumatherapy methods so we resorted to…ningen means until we find a method of Healing that with hopefully work," the impish, wizened old man reported. He gestured to his team that it was safe to leave and return to where they were posted. As the other healers left, Kurama found it easier to weave through the crowd to get to the source of the metallic scent. However, what met him was far from expected, or welcome.

Light blue hair was matted with dirt and blood. The upper portion of a kimono was stained with the same red liquid. The stark bandages on an upper torso, covering a right shoulder, and the thin column of neck contrasted to the livid bruising on a normally creamy-toned stomach. Heavy breathing was slowed with pain and bubblegum eyes were moving under their closed lids. "Botan?" the fox avatar whispered in disbelief.

The girl who unknowingly held his affections stirred at his soft voice. "Kur-Kurama," she murmured, her throat abused to the point where it sounded like a wheeze. Her hand groped unseeingly for his and when she found it she held it tightly. "I-it hurts…Kurama," she continued.

"_What the hell did this to her?" _Youko asked, not really expecting a useful answer.

'_Why can't she be Healed?'_ Kurama added. Yusuke moved to Botan's other side, looking over the wounded woman with a serious critical eye, mentally documenting certain things. He went to touch her eyes when something crackled and he pulled his hand away. The tips of his fingers—as well as Botan's daintier ones, Kurama noted—were singed and blistered. "What happened?" the redhead questioned aloud, he, Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei facing the only one who might be able to respond to his inquiry with the proper information: Koenma.

Said prince ignored the question in favor of his own, directed to the Head Healer. "Can you identify the energy?" The Healer shook his head.

"If you want any answers," the imp stated as he walked, undismissed, out of the room, "I'd suggest you ask the girl. Perhaps she got to see her attacker before the blinding spell was cast." He left the room.

Botan whimpered, her eyelids clenching in pain. Koenma sighed before floating over to her, "Botan, I know it's asking a lot but I need you to tell me what happened to you."

Kurama felt the ferry girl's hold on his hand tighten slightly and he responded in kind, letting her know that she had his support; an action that didn't go unnoticed by the Forbidden Child and the team leader.

Botan took a deep, raspy breath before making an attempt at telling her story. "Th-the dead s-soul-ls…not there…w-w-was g-going to re-report…s-strange en-nergy…investi-tigated." She paused to catch a second wind and continued. "F-found clearing…odd y-youkai…disappeared. F-f-flew i-in…I s-sol-lidif-fied…d-don't kn-kn-know w-why…p-pain…arrow…my sh-should-der…c-couldn't get it o-out…burned. A voice…m-mocking me…ripped the a-arrow out…screamed. Ch-chanting…blind…mocking…g-grabbed my n-neck…it h-hurt…b-burning." Suddenly Botan gasped, her eyes opening in fear. The normally vibrant pinks were lacking their pupils and seemed to be covered in a rolling, dense smoke; it caused a twinge of sympathy in Kurama. She started to sit up but her wounds shouted in protested and she immediately fell back on the futon. "K-Koenma-sama…the H-Harvest…b-begins at mi-midnight," she managed to choke out before unconsciousness reclaimed her once more.

Koenma seemed to freeze, suspended in the air. Ignorant or blind to the confused looks sent at him, Koenma slowly made his way back to his chair, moved close to the desk, and promptly began bashing his head against the hard surface. After a minute or so and about thirty slams later, the young prince stared in a daze at the broken screen in front of him. "We're screwed," he stated, a curious expression coming over his blank features. "The Harvest of Souls…how could fifty years just pass like that?"

Kurama frowned: usually Koenma was ranting stupidly when a possibly dangerous mission came up. "The Harvest of Souls?"

Koenma reached for the remote before sighing helplessly as he looked at the damaged screen. "I should have known when the screen broke that this was happening. It always happens when he comes for the Harvest," he rambled to himself, ignoring Kurama's question entirely. His brown eyes stared forlornly at the detectives for a few moments before he picked up his stapler and threw it into the adjacent wall in an angry fit. "Dammit! Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!" He jumped onto his desk and proceeded to pace furiously to and fro. His arms were crossed painfully across his abdomen, his hands gripping his upper arms. "This is the best damn Reikai Tantei I've had! They can't die **now**!"

Kurama raised his eyebrow. While it was minimally comforting that Koenma was reverting to his normal habits of throwing fits and shooting off his mouth, the fact that it was their demise he was discussing was intensely less settling.

§§§§§

**NOTES SO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT: Pneumatherapy is what Botan and Yukina use for healing. Basic Western white magic in other words. It's in the manga.**

**Shinkirou—Mirage (you'll see, I think I've created one of the most versatile swords in existence)**

**A/N: I think I did okay with it, but I'm not too sure. Tell me what you think, okay?**

**Review, please! Thank you.**


	5. Prelude to Horror

**Disclaimer: I own this really cool paperclip that is shaped like an electric guitar. But I do not own InuYasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, or my amazing collection of stolen pens.**

//The Phoenix\\

§Prelude to Horror§

"Where would we be if throughout history, our greatest minds had feared that which they could not confirm? Embrace the unknown with caution, but not with fear."

--Karyn Somerfield

She knew it was pathetic, but it was still welcomed with open arms. Anything would do to get out of taking those pictures.

"I really must apologize for this, Higurashi-san," the receptionist continued profusely. Kagome resisted the urge to roll her eyes while she staggered through the halls, as it would ruin her 'innocent bystander' routine. How could no one notice that she wasn't all that upset that all the lights in the vicinity somehow shattered? Of course, incidentally she was also the cause of said phenomenon, but that could remain her own personal little secret.

"Don't worry about it. Do you have any idea how this managed to happen?" she asked politely, inwardly marveling at her control over her previously untamable power. All she did was glare at the lights above her when she was about to pull off her shirt with a female attendant's help and poof—shattered, nonworking light. With that in mind, she proceeded to expand her aura, carefully breaking all the lights but making sure that no injuries were caused. She would feel absolutely horrible if something bad happened because she wasn't feeling very photogenic.

"We think it might have been a power surge," the woman answered, a soft frown forming on her mouth. (_You could say that again,_ Kagome thought.) "But enough of that," she continued cheerfully. She reached behind her desk, scooting away some broken glass—Kagome winced unnoticeably at that—and pulled away with a key in her hand. "This is the skeleton key to your house. All should be in order. Anything in the refrigerator was thrown away because it was rotting. Your friend Yuka is taking care of your cat. Everything on the shrine is in order, although, nobody was able to get into the well house: the door seemed to be jammed," the receptionist said curiously.

The miko almost blanched. Thinking quickly, she explained, "Oh, you just need to know how to open it. I was the only one in my family who could get the door to move." At some point during her travels, the well house omitted any persons who weren't Kagome and InuYasha from entering. While it upset Jii-chan that a part of his own shrine wouldn't allow him passage, Kagome was immensely relieved that no one could get hurt by falling in the well, or that a youkai couldn't destroy it in her time. It also became a wonderful place to store all of her weapons, her supply of dried herbs and poisons, and her taijiya cat suit without the risk of exposing her secrets.

Kagome accepted the key and rebalanced herself with her katana. She glanced around the lobby, trying to find any sight of Yusuke or Kazuma, but their auras were gone and had been for a pretty long time. "The two boys who I was with aren't here?" The receptionist nodded.

"The shorter one made a call to some girl, but that was over an hour ago," the woman said. "Would you like an escort?"

Kagome frowned. Keiko would have made it by now if the call was made an hour ago. The deep unsettlement that had been pulling on her soul for the better part of the day gave a giant tug at the realization. Is Keiko hurt…?

"Higurashi-san? Higurashi-san, would you like an escort?" the receptionist asked again.

"…Hm? Oh, no thank you. I'll be fine," Kagome said with resolution. Carefully sidestepping any broken glass that hadn't been swept to the side already, she made a hasty exit.

The sun beat down on her as soon as she stepped onto the sidewalk. Basking in the comforting warmth, Kagome immediately searched for Keiko's aura. She frowned when nothing came to her. All she could catch were faint traces of where the older girl had last been before she disappeared about two hundred meters in the direction she was heading, meaning it was most likely that Keiko was taken on her way to the police station. Kagome's frown deepened as she quickly ran there, her pain less important than Keiko's safety. While moving, she strapped the Miracle of Mercy to the belt holding up her skirt and prayed that it wouldn't be needed.

§

_One more,_ Kikyo couldn't help but think as she looked at the old Master Genkai. She allowed a small smirk of satisfaction reveal itself on her lips as she surveyed her handy-work. While the shrine wasn't damaged, the petite Koorime her shinidamachuu just carried off left quite a bit of blood behind.

"What have you done to the girl?" Genkai demanded, grabbing her wounded shoulder. Her stern brown eyes blazed with a cold fire as she glared at the intruder. One of arrows had grazed her, the dark aura burning much of the surrounding skin. The psychic could feel the aura suck away her power.

"Nothing of consequence. She was a youkai, after all. Such tainted, pathetic creatures, don't you agree?" the kuromiko asked conversationally, indifferently examining her bow.

Genkai glared, focusing her remaining reiki in her hand. She couldn't move nearly as fast as she normally could, so a long distance attack would be necessary. "At least the girl is alive," she spat. The woman across from her gave off no life energy whatsoever, but a great anger rose in the dead aura that caused the psychic to smirk. Genkai continued, "I don't sense a shred of humanity from you at all. Doesn't that make you a bit hypocritical?" she yelled as she released the reiki from her hand. Weary, Genkai fell to her knees, watching the blue blast move in towards its target.

Kikyo calmly pulled out the Mirror of the Void, holding it up do the ball of energy in a serene manner. She almost smiled at the mixed look of shock and horror on the old woman's face as the blast reflected back, hitting the psychic heavily in the sternum. Genkai's body arched at the force of the attack, lifting into the air before it crashed heavily to the ground. Kikyo leisurely walked over to the fallen woman, briefly noting that Genkai was still alive before summoning her soul-stealers to bring the old woman to the clearing she selected. It was nestled deep into the woods near the Kekkai Barrier, very well guarded with secrecy spells to insure that no one would be getting there before her fun was to end. Smirking in joy, she wandered into the forest surrounding the shrine. It was heavily populated with low-level youkai.

_They could be of good use to me…_

§

"You mean to tell me that she's actually alive?" a woman asked calmly. She crossed her arms over her purple vest, the white of the long-sleeved shirt she wore underneath bringing out the matching scarf that lay loose around her neck. The man across from her did nothing to answer her from his position at the window. Her good, blue eye softened slightly at the silence. She unfolded her arms and dusted off any dirt that might have gotten on her light green pants and adjusted the red tie that held them up. Half of her face was covered by a cloth with a lens over her eye to hide the hideous scars that were there. Sighing, she moved her stubborn, short red-orange hair from her face. "You miss her."

It was a statement, and he knew it. Turning from the view of his lands the window gave, one of the more beautiful lands in Makai, he let his amazing eyes show a hint of the pain he harbored. "It is not only that, Mukuro. She was forced back with the falsehoods of my death two weeks ago from the present moment," he answered. He took a glance at his female ally, his friend. He was one of the few people who knew her true story behind the scars that covered the right side of her body and her very well engineered prosthetics for her right arm and leg, and he greatly respected her for it. Not many people would disfigure half of their body for freedom. "You miss her, too."

Mukuro smiled sadly for a moment. "Of course I have. Kagome and I became very close in those six months we traveled together…"

¥¥¥¥¥

Panting, Mukuro knelt down next to the small stream to try and clean the gashes on her chest. She didn't think that the last youkai would have been so difficult to defeat. Her energy was almost completely gone, and the bleeding had yet to stop. Suddenly, a rustle in the bushes across from her on the other side of the river alerted her to the presence of another.

A young woman emerged from the foliage. She was human, but the aura around her suggested that she wasn't weak. There was a sword strapped to her hip, and a bow accompanied by a quiver full of arrows at her back. On the other side of her back was a brown rucksack, probably holding her other belongings. The hakamas she wore were a dark green and the sleeveless haori was a very light violet with dark blue flowers trimming the collar. The raven hair was loose and wavy and her eyes were an odd blue-gray, matching the flowers on her haori. Those same eyes looked at Mukuro in surprise. "You're wounded," the young woman stated.

Wary, Mukuro blinked away the blackness trying to overcome her vision and stood. "It matters not, I'll still defeat you if I must, human," she proclaimed bravely. The girl across from her smiled innocently.

"I have no reason to fight you, though," Mukuro heard before the darkness succeeded in ruling her consciousness.

She awoke in a small hut, her chest wrapped in bandages. A small window told her it was just slightly before dawn. The embers in the fire pit illuminated the room enough for her to make out the figure of the girl watching her curiously from across the room. Sitting up immediately, she glared. "Why did you heal me?" she demanded.

The girl made no move to get up, but she did smile again. "You were injured. Should I have left you face down in the stream?"

Mukuro frowned. She was only dressed in a large haori and her pants, her shirt hanging to dry on a string over the fire. "I am a youkai, you are a human. Why save the life of a creature that could kill you without a care?" she asked.

The girl stood and stretched before checking the dampness of the shirt over her head. Mukuro also noted that she was rather short, an observation that was missed earlier. She was also pretty, making the demoness feel slightly embarrassed about the scars on her own body. Deeming that the clothes were dry, the young woman pulled them down, folded them and placed them on the floor, then moved to sit next to her. "I may be a miko, but I also have friends who are youkai, and hanyou. In fact, you happened to have passed out by one of their homes. We're currently in his hut while he and his mother are gathering some herbs for a salve to help your wounds heal faster." The girl paused before adding, "I'm Kagome, by the way."

Mukuro introduced herself in return and they sat in a comfortable silence until the hanging over the doorway was pushed aside and an old woman handed the herbs in her hand over to Kagome. Kagome grabbed a mortar and a pestle made of a gray stone, mixing varying measurements of the plants with a bit of water to make a paste. "I take it Jinenji is out tending the fields?" Kagome asked the old woman, gesturing to Mukuro to take off the haori so the wounds could be treated with the paste.

"Hai, he heard that your friend was awake and didn't want to cause an awkward moment or make her feel uncomfortable," the old woman answered while rekindling the fire and reheating some leftover stew. Kagome carefully applied the salve and rewrapped the wounds in fresh bandages, storing the rest of the herbs in small pouches and tossing them into the rucksack. Mukuro had watched her carefully, noticing that she didn't flinch away when her hands came in contact with the scar tissue.

After breakfast, Mukuro stood and walked to the door. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'll be leaving now," she announced, pushing back the hanging and exiting the hut. She made it no more then five steps when the cry of "Wait!" reached her ears and Kagome hurried after her. "What?"

"You shouldn't go yet, Mukuro. Your wound hasn't healed," Kagome said, standing beside her. "At least let me stay with you until you're okay," the miko pleaded.

¥¥¥¥¥

And stay with me she did, Mukuro thought wryly. Kagome explained that very same day that she had run away from her friends only a month prior to study independently. Apparently, she had asked them to train her so she could fight for herself, but they kindly declined in the belief that she wouldn't be able to handle it and no matter what she said they wouldn't change her mind. She had first gone to some old sword smith to learn how to make weapons. Her own katana, Shinkirou, was forged by her own hand of one of her wisdom teeth and blood. After spending a few weeks there learning and training, she carried on.

An almost silent cough brought Mukuro back to the present. The man in front of her raised a delicate eyebrow, to which she raised her own. "May I assume that you didn't invite me here just to tell me this?" she asked.

"Indeed," he confirmed. "If we leave now, we should make it to the Ningenkai just short of one in the morning."

Mukuro nodded in understanding. "With the Harvest of Souls in progress, the Reikai won't be able to stop us."

"Exactly. Let's take our leave immediately," the man said as he exited the door. Mukuro followed him to the stables housing one of his favorite modes of transportation silently. The servants bowed respectively to their lord and the ruler of the northern lands as the two passed.

§

No wind disturbed the quiet rooftop of Sarayashiki High School. The sun illuminated the cement tiles, heating them with constant attention. It seemed that nothing was willing to disturb the scene. That is…until a portal swirled open and five people stepped out.

Yusuke was the first to step out, his slicked black hair giving off a green luster in the afternoon sun. His watch told him it was 2:37 p.m. He moved out of the way to let his teammates pass through.

A dark blur streaked past him, eager to get away from the raving toddler for whom he was forced to work. Hiei stood solemnly against a wall, his black cloak swishing in the now daring wind. His crimson eyes searched the area for any signs of danger.

Kurama was next to enter the roof, carrying an unconscious ferry girl in his strong arms. His head was oddly quiet, the proud fox silent in his own contemplations.

Kuwabara, last but not least, left the portal, and it disappeared as soon as his feet came in contact with the cement. No words were exchanged between them, but the words of Koenma rang loudly in their minds.

"_The Harvest of Souls is a dangerous event in which an unidentified identity moves into the Ningenkai and steals first the souls of the dead, and—if needed, and it usually is—continue onto the souls of the living. Approximately 1,000 souls are taken every fifty years. This demon always manages to slip through our fingers like he was putty. The reasons for taking the souls are unknown, but he is completely ruthless and kills any opposition standing in his way._

"_Every time a Reikai Tantei tries to stop him, there is almost nothing left. He steals the detective's soul, which makes revival impossible, and leaves the mangled corpse behind. This guy is dangerous, and cannot be stopped. Many have tried, and all of them failed. Therefore…you do not have to do anything—I'm not making this a mission. All I ask is that you try to stay alive…"_

They made their way off of the school property to the small gathering of trees behind it. They formed a tentative circle and leaned against a respective trunk, Kurama sitting to take the pressure off of his burden. Silence dominated for a few moments before Kuwabara interrupted it softly. "We can't just let this happen. I don't care if the odds are against us; we've succeeded when no one thought we would before. Why stop now?"

"I never thought I'd say this, but the baka's right," Hiei agreed. "I've saved this damnable place too many times to let someone else desecrate it."

Kurama nodded. "But we know nothing of our enemy; guesses are the only thing we have. Since he's targeting human souls, he could be a soul-sucking oni like Gouki…"

"What about a toad youkai?" Yusuke contributed. "I know they eat human souls when they can get them."

Kurama shook his head. "Doubtful. Toads encase the human in an egg-like sac until the soul is fertile. The body has to be alive, so why target the dead first? Then again, I've never heard of a soul-sucking oni eating a dead soul…"

"And we're back at square one again," Kuwabara sighed.

"Look," Yusuke said, calling all attention to him, "since we can't do anything about this Harvest of Souls thing yet, let's try and find a way to get Botan healed. Normal pneumatherapy won't work, and even if it did that won't lift the curse on her eyes." He paused before nodding firmly. "Right, follow me." He turned and left the trees.

"Wait, Urameshi! Where the hell are you going?" Kuwabara yelled as he and the others moved to catch up with their swift-footed leader.

Yusuke never stopped walking as he answered, "Think about it Kuwabara. Pneumatherapy is basic Western white magic, right? So the color of the energy is white! Who do we know who doesn't fit in that category?"

Kurama and Hiei exchanged an inquiring look before turning to Kuwabara. The tallest of the mismatched group had wide, enlightened eyes. "You mean…" Kuwabara's voice trailed off.

"Exactly!" Yusuke exclaimed. "We're going to Higurashi Shrine." With that said, they began to run, following Yusuke to their destination.

§

The humid, sticky feeling at her back was all she needed to know that her wounds had reopened, but she couldn't care less about that now. The pain that she should be feeling was overrun by adrenaline. She created an illusion of roller blades at her feet before Willing the wind to her heels and shooting off. She just hoped that nobody would pay much mind to the absent sounds of wheels on concrete. Swerving around the people who cried out in indignation, she finally made it to where she wanted to be.

Kagome gently release her influence on the wind and walked into the alley. She scanned it carefully with her energy before coming up to a ripped blue sleeve stained in blood. The area around it expressed a great amount of fear from a weaker aura—most definitely belonging to Keiko—and a chilling confidence she had long ago associated with her incarnate. "But Kikyo isn't this cold," she argued to herself, trying to deny the facts. "Then again, five hundred years is a long time to change, and she never got to take Inu…InuYasha to hell."

She sighed heavily. There was no getting around the fact that this was Kikyo's aura, and it was Kikyo's presence in the Ningenkai that was causing her soul to pull. _She must be trying to capitalize on my weakness to get to my soul,_ Kagome thought. _A fat lot of good that'll do her. You don't put me in danger without consequences._ When her powers started to develop in the Sengoku Jidai, especially when she broke away from her friends and met Mukuro, they reacted of their own accord when she was injured. The more trouble she was in, the faster she tended to heal. Even now she could feel the skin start to seam together.

Picking up the bloodied sleeve of her newest friend's blouse, Kagome let her determination to save Keiko overcome her grief and she turned to leave the alley. Stopping mid-step, she turned her head to the direction of where she felt three, low-level youkai approaching. Frowning, she Willed the wind to her feet again and let it carry her up to the roof—it wasn't wise to fight outnumbered in a cornered alley, no matter how weak the opponents.

Two hairy things and a bald thing soon came into view. Her opponents didn't stop when they reached her roof, but instead charged on to immediately ambush her. Rolling her eyes, she pulled her amethyst hama no reiyoku from the ocean inside her and guided it to her hand. A sufficient amount pooled in her palm before she let it loose, instantly purifying the two hairy demons with ease. The bald one, who had the intelligence to dodge out of the way, released a garbled wail and charged once more. Kagome guided more energy to her hand but before she could release it a large burst of flames caught him and quickly reduced him to ashes. Surprised, Kagome turned to the source and gasped.

"Kirara?" the miko whispered, falling to her knees. The small, cream-colored neko youkai with the black stripes on her tail, ankles, cheeks, and the matching diamond on her forehead mewed before running to her old friend and new mistress. Kagome quickly scooped her up into a fierce hug, the tears she had been trying to keep at bay barreled down her cheeks. "I've missed you so much, Kirara." Kirara mewed again and rubbed her furry head into Kagome's neck.

Suddenly, Kagome felt a prick at her cheek and reflexively she slapped at it, looking down at her hand in amazement.

"Five hundred years since I've been able to taste that sweet blood of yours, Kagome-sama. It really has been too long."

Kagome slowly faded from shock and let the first truly happy smile come to her face since her families died. "Myouga!" the miko exclaimed joyously. She loosely clasped her hands and pulled them to her chest, the closest thing to a hug she could get with such a small creature. "But, how are you alive?" she asked.

Myouga scratched behind his balding head. "I got a lucky break one day and sucked the blood off of a powerful regenerative demon about four-hundred years ago," he said, falsely nonchalant. His eyes widened as though he suddenly remembered something and he quickly bowed down to her. "Milady Kagome, I swear until death to be a loyal vassal to you, as anything of Lord InuYasha's is now bestowed upon you. I shall protect your secrets, and assist you to the best of my ability."

Kagome blinked. _Well, **that** was abrupt,_ she thought. Giving her head a little shake, she said aloud, "Right…but if you are going to stay with me because of InuYasha's death, then—"

Myouga quickly amended, "Lady Kagome, I would stay with you even if it wasn't my duty. Of that you can be certain." Kagome smiled slightly.

"Thank you, Myouga, I needed that," she said, absent-mindedly running her hand through Kirara's four tails. Wait… "Four tails?"

The neko mewed proudly to the inquiry. "Yes, she grew one shortly after coming upon the battlefield and another around three hundred fifty years ago," Myouga informed, hopping to Kagome's shoulder. "She's gotten a lot of rumors going about in Makai." Kagome picked Kirara up with her as she stood.

"Congratulations, Kirara! That's won…" a flash of blue caught her eye, "…der…ful…" Gently putting Kirara on the ground, Kagome moved to pick up Keiko's bloody sleeve. Her face set in determination once more before turning to her fire-cat, placing the tattered cloth in one of her pockets. "Let's go, Kirara. We're heading to my home."

Flames engulfed the neko before they dissipated, revealing a large, fanged feline. Kagome quickly seated herself on Kirara's back and, after making sure that Myouga was steady, she cast a quick invisibility spell as they flew off together.

When the shrine finally came into view from their vantage point in the sky, she immediately sensed her two friends, as well as three other unidentified presences. Pulling in any traces of their auras, Kagome quickly assessed the strangers. The man on the bench felt both human and kitsune at the same time, but it was the human soul that had true ownership of the body. The girl resting in his lap had a similar aura to that of the Soul Piper, so Kagome assumed that she was a Grim Reaper. She was also the victim of a curse that had a dark purity around it, another person hurt by Kikyo, she could tell. Then there was the male youkai who stood by the Goshinboku. His aura was dark, but she could tell that he was a far cry from evil. Turning to the flea on her shoulder, she whispered, "What of the people at the shrine?" as she silently guided Kirara to the grounds that now belonged to her.

When the great cat landed, the two youkai visitors looked in their direction. Giving Kirara a silent nod to transform back to kitten form, she set a strong barrier around the shrine to keep away anyone or anything with an evil intention—sending everyone into a defensive position. Letting the invisibility spell vanish—a funny thought in itself—she turned to Myouga again. "Talk to me, Myouga," she said loud enough for the others to hear, causing wary glances to be sent.

"I suppose I'll start with your friend, Kuwabara Kazuma. He is the only completely human member of the Reikai Tantei, and as such has no real connection to any of the Makai rulers. His power is about a B and his main weapon is the Rei Ken. Also unlike his companions is the immensely strong psychic awareness, with the ability of sensing ghosts and youkai ranging very far." Kazuma was looking at her with wide eyes.

"I knew he was powerful," she murmured, and then nodded for Myouga to continue.

"Next is Urameshi Yusuke. At the age of fourteen, he was a normal human 'badass'—skipping school, dressing out of uniform, smoking, stealing, and fighting were a part of his everyday life until one day he died trying to save a little boy. As it turns out, not only was his death completely pointless—as the boy would have lived, and not even have gotten hit—but since no one was expecting him to push the boy out of the way, there was nowhere for him to go. Prince Koenma made a deal with him—bring him back to life and he works as a Spirit Detective—to which he accepted. A year or so later, Yusuke-sama dies again, but this time he revives because his demon blood awakens. As it turns out, Yusuke-sama is a distant relative to the late Raizen-sama, one of four lords of Makai—the eastern lands to be specific. With his prestigious background, he is an upper S-class youkai. In a series of long and complicated events I don't feel like going through, Yusuke-sama handed his title to Enki-sama, a friend of Raizen-sama, until he was ready to take up his position as Lord. Now, he still works for Koenma-sama as a Reikai Tantei since there are still trespasses from Makai to Ningenkai…which, come to think of it, could be said about all of the detectives. However, he still enjoys dates with his girlfriend, Yukimura Keiko."

"Where _is_ Keiko, anyway?" Yusuke asked impatiently, his tolerance being quite easily tested at having some unseen source tell an abridged version of his life story to a young woman he came to trust.

Kagome flinched and looked down sadly. _'How am I going to tell him that his girlfriend was kidnapped by my incarnate?'_ Suddenly, she felt hands grip at her shoulders painfully, causing her eyes to fly up into an intense crimson.

§

It was ironic, if you really think about it: a Koorime feeling cold.

Yukina hung limply from the tree, held by branches birthed from those strange, eel-like creatures. She tried to get free, but everything she had tried to do failed miserably. She looked around the clearing.

Shizuru was the only other one awake, and now she was the only one fighting the restraints. Genkai was just brought in, her battered body easily held to the tree on the Ice Maiden's right. To her left was a woman she only met a few times, but it was well known that the woman was the mother to Minamino Shuuichi. There was a cut on her forehead, but the bleeding had stopped.

A groan brought Yukina's attention to Keiko, but thankfully the human girl stayed unconscious. Her arm had a deep gash, easily exposed by the missing sleeve at the left shoulder. She quieted down quickly, and Yukina continued her look around to the last person hanging from a tree. Atsuko was one of the least injured of them all, with only a heavy bruise on her cheek.

Yukina herself bled heavily from a cut on the wrist that was inflicted when she tried to dodge one of the arrows. Her stomach was burned by an energy attack from her captor and it was stinging horribly whenever her breathing caused her skin to brush against the bark.

Did the boys even know they were gone? Were they going to come save them? Where was she?

Her head hung again as the darkness claimed her once more.

§

Mukuro sighed happily as she watched the land below her blur from the speeds with which they were traveling. She was seated behind her friend, and while she didn't like not actually being in control of what was carrying her, she couldn't deny that she liked being pressed so close to him.

Not many people would believe that he was as comfortable as his eyes were cold.

She refused the blush that tried to make it to her cheeks—not that it would have mattered since he couldn't see her face at the moment. The two-headed beast made a left at his Master's command.

"I did not manage to ask, how are your lands holding?" her companion questioned. Had it been any other person—with the exception of Hiei, of course—she would have immediately been put on edge. However, with this man she knew that her trust would not be scorned.

"Fair, if it must be placed into words. The general economy has improved, which is nice. The army is also becoming stronger. I trust yours are doing splendidly?" Mukuro inquired, though it was fairly pointless. Her companion had one of the most advanced, not to mention beautiful, lands of all the Rulers—probably since he's been at it for the longest of the four. Admittedly, Yomi was running a very close second, but he was also one of the people that she would be suspicious of if he asked how her lands were holding.

"Of course," her companion answered. "And how is Hiei?"

"I saw him last week, actually. He was checking in after a mission to see if anything needed to be done before he went to watch over Yukina. I told him how things were doing over dinner, and then dismissed him to take care of his duties concerning his sister," Mukuro retold with aloof humor.

"You find him to be suitable for your second-in-command, then?"

"Very much so," she reaffirmed with absolution. "I'm…proud of him. Speaking of second-in-commands, though, what of yours?"

Her friend turned his head and gave a mild frown. "You know quite well that I have no second, Mukuro."

She smirked slightly. "Exactly."

It took a moment before her companion actually let loose a chuckle, accompanied with a small smile. The sight caused her to reflect the smile as well.

"You should smile more often, Mukuro. It suits you very well," he said before turning back forward. Mukuro tightened her arms around his waist before she responded.

"You should heed your own advice, Sesshoumaru."

§§§§§

**A/N: Ha! Take that society! Fuck you a…oh…wait…wrong audience…Sorry!**

**Anyway, Mukuro is a real character, if you want to know more about her, leave your e-mail in a review or something and I'll work something out so you get all good and caught up. If you also haven't noticed, I've thoroughly fucked with the original Makai lands (there are supposed to be three, but now there are four). However, since I've seen plenty of fanfics where Sesshoumaru is King and shit, I figure why not?**

**A side note, depending on my mood and the reviews I get, I may or may not have a chapter up by Sunday (cookie to anyone who can guess why SPECIFICALLY on Sunday).**

**Review please!**


	6. Hell Hath No Fury

**A/N: Ha! I've finally got this up! It certainly took long enough. I wanted to get this up on Sunday, August 21, since that was my sixteenth birthday, but it didn't work out quite like I had hoped. Then school started up and that's kept me ridiculously busy...damn them! Anyway, I'll babble at the end of the chapter, but for now, just enjoy the 7,300 plus words and get really pissed off at me.**

**Disclaimer: I own this really cool paperclip that looks like a guitar, and even the new laptop I'm using to write this story, but I don't own InuYasha or Yu Yu Hakusho.**

//The Phoenix\\

§Hell Hath No Fury§

"There's another reason why you should love your enemies, and that is because hate distorts the personality of the hater. We usually think of what hate does for the individual hated or the individuals hated or the groups hated. But it is even more tragic, it is even more ruinous and injurious to the individual who hates. ... For the person who hates, the true becomes false and the false becomes true. That's what hate does."

--Martin Luther King, Jr.

"I'd hate to disappoint you, but I've been threatened by youkai before," the onna whispered, but with the heavy silence that enshrouded the shrine, she might as well have screamed it to the world. In return for her insolence, Hiei tightened his grip on her shoulders.

Before she popped in on the shrine, he had been enjoying a rare sense of contentment standing by the big tree with the patch of bark missing. Fox was looking at it with some signs of interest, but for the most part was concerned for the Grim Reaper. The tree itself was radiating a very protective, soothing aura that seemed to lull him to standing close to it. It also felt mourning, but as soon as the onna set the barrier around the shrine and revealed herself, it seemed quite happy. Of course, disturbing his peace was a point off in her favor, but the strength of her barrier almost made up for it.

He was left mildly disheartened and slightly impressed that she hadn't quivered under his patented glare, but that didn't keep him from doing it. The neko was hissing and spitting angrily at him, but a quick gesture from the onna kept it from attacking. He smirked coldly, "Answer the question."

This time, instead of a comeback, a look of deep pain and emotional turmoil seeped thick into her startlingly sapphire-gray eyes before her head faced the ground. A bite of guilt nipped at the edge of his forsaken heart when he sensed that the feeling was strong and genuine. His grip slackened slightly, ready to tighten again should she try to run away, but he was further surprised when she made no move for freedom. Instead, she merely reached into one of her pockets and pulled out a tattered piece of cloth covered in what he could tell to be blood—Keiko's, if the scent on it was anything to go by.

"She didn't make it to the precinct," the onna mumbled before tossing the sleeve over to Yusuke. The detective's face was a mixture of shock and horror as he examined the bloody material. Then slowly, a ferocious anger swept away the other emotions, and, as his power levels rose, the markings of his demonic heritage formed onto his skin and his hair grew past his knees. The miko in his hands stepped gently away; walking carefully towards the Toushin, and—when she was sure that she wouldn't get immediately lashed out at—wrapped her arms around his waist.

Hiei's first thought was that the miko was committing suicide, as not many people who enjoy life dare to touch an enraged demon, but he was surprised to see that the hostility and blood-lust in Yusuke's aura was slowly dissipating, though the dark blue markings still remained, sharply contrasting against the tan skin. The aura that she previously held under tight guard released slightly to where he knew she held it normally, soothing out the aggression in Yusuke. The curious thought of what and how much she was hiding beneath those veils came before he banished them to the back of his mind for later pondering.

§

"_The pure are soiled,_

_And the soiled are purified._

_What is good is evil,_

_And what is evil is good._

_To live is to die,_

And to die is to live…" 

"Is there a point to you singing or are you going to tell us why the fuck we're here?" Shizuru asked irritably from her place on the tree. She couldn't see any trace of her kidnapper, didn't even know what the woman looked like to be perfectly honest, but she really didn't care at this point. Her friends were hurt, something she didn't take lightly, and the woman didn't even have the decency to come out of the safety of the trees or explain what the hell they were doing here.

A rustling in the brush to her left brought her attention to the silhouette of a fairly tall female draped in shadow, making her features indistinguishable. "You are very rude. Though, honestly, I didn't expect much less from the friend and relative of those damn Reikai dogs," the woman spat in disgust. Groaning alerted her to the fact that Shiori and Keiko finally awoke, and Yukina regained consciousness once more. "Good," the woman said with bitterness. "The more the merrier, right?"

Shizuru and Keiko gasped as the woman finally stepped into the light. "You…you look…" Keiko's voice trailed, lost for words. The woman glared coldly with dark brown eyes, a hearty contrast from the vibrant blue-grey they were familiar with, and angrily pushed a stray forelock behind her ear before dusting off some dirt from her red hakamas and black haori. A bow and a quiver of arrows were fastened to her back and a mirror was held between the woman's hip and the tie holding up her pants.

"Don't be so foolish, little girl. It is not I who looks like your Kagome; it is she who looks like me. You really have no knowledge of what she is, do you?" the woman asked, not really expecting an answer.

"Who…who are you?" the timid voice of Shiori asked, completely bewildered by this turn of events. "What do you want with us? What did we ever do to you?"

The woman sent them a chilling smirk. "My name is Kikyo, and I happen to be a little dead right now, but that won't last very long."

"Dead?" Shiori asked, and Shizuru could tell she was feeling slightly sick to her stomach.

"Yes, dead. I died approximately five hundred and fifty-three years ago, when I was killed by a despicable demon that lusted after me and my power. I was cremated after my death." Kikyo walked around the clearing, idly looking at her captives.

Shizuru glared at the woman in disgust. "So you're here to take it out on us? That's _real _mature of a woman who is over five hundred years old," she said sarcastically. She quickly fell prey to those empty brown eyes.

"Actually, you are nothing more than bait and hopefully some sustenance for me. You see, in order to continue this wretched existence, I must utilize the souls of dead women. Youkai souls aren't quite as nice as human, not as filling either, so I come here every fifty years for the Harvest. But this year…this year will be special."

Just as Shizuru was going to ask why, Shiori inadvertently cut her off. "Youkai? Youkai really exist?"

Shizuru froze and raised her eyes to meet Keiko's, who had likewise stilled. How could they have forgotten that Shiori didn't know anything about the Makai or the fact that her own son harbors the soul of a legendary youkai thief? Kikyo's dark chuckling interrupted their shock. "That's right! I almost overlooked the fact that you really haven't a clue as to why you're bait in the first place!" Kikyo admitted, actually seeming to be happy about something. After she calmed a bit, she turned to a frightened Shiori and continued. "Have you not ever wondered at the odd maturity that your son exhibited at such a young age? Or the fact that sometimes he can be gone from time to time at random intervals? Well, I'll let you in on his big little secret…"

"Don't you dare!" Yukina cried, hiruiseki falling from her eyes as the tears gave way. "Don't you dare twist the truth into some disgusting lies! Kurama loves his mother more than life itself, and has proven so many, many times! He's done everything he ever could to ensure her safety, to protect her from beings like you! He loves her like any good son wou-"

"Silence, you dirty youkai!" Kikyo commanded, interrupting a rare outburst from the Ice Maiden. Kikyo seemed all too eager in making the branches holding the Koorime tighten in warning.

"Kurama…?" Shiori asked, more to herself than to anyone else.

"Yes," Kikyo answered, "Kurama is your son's alias, and is used by those who know of his secrets. You see, your precious Shuuichi is hardly human anymore. Before your son's birth, a rather legendarily ruthless spirit fox thief was killed by a demon hunter, and take a guess as to who this kitsune chose to vessel his soul?" Before the shocked mother could say a single word, Kikyo took the liberty of answering for her. "Exactly, your son. Tell me, does it hurt to know that your 'perfect' son isn't so perfect?"

For one long moment, everyone who was awake watched as the shock slowly faded into indecision before finally settling on what was very clearly determination. Shiori looked up into Kikyo's face and stated with no doubt, "I love my son."

"Even though, by all means, the only part of him that is human is his soul?" Kikyo asked, a thin frown forming on her lips.

"I love my son." It was stated with such conviction, and such truth, that Shizuru relaxed in the knowledge that, no matter what happens, Kurama can rest safe knowing that his mother loves him as he is.

Kikyo scowled. "He's a thief! He had to work for Reikai as Community Service when he and his associates robbed one of the most heavily guarded vaults of the Three Dark Treasures!"

At this, Shizuru had to interrupt, "He did that to save her life!" Kikyo glared at her and the branches around her neck constricted tightly before letting go. A small silence ensued after that, but the warning was still clear enough.

As though nothing had been said, Kikyo continued. "The blood of many demons lay on his hands. He is a youkai! He's a thief! Hundreds have fallen before him, and hundreds more will follow! He is a creature of darkness! He's tainted and _deserves _to die!"

"_I love my son!_ He is _my _son, and I have loved him and I will continue to love him! Nothing you say will change it, because I know my son, and I know he loves me, too. So you can stop trying to make me disown him! I am a mother who loves her son!" Shiori screamed, tears of emotion spilling from her eyes.

Kikyo pouted slightly. "That's such a pity. If you had denounced him then maybe you could have lived…" Shizuru and the others watched in horror as an arrow quickly imbedded itself in Shiori's heart.

The mother's last words before life drained quickly from her body was, "I love my son."

The only sound left in the clearing was the echoing twang of the bow and the light thump of tear gems as they hit the mossy ground from Yukina's silent cries.

§

Kagome's arms strengthened around Yusuke's waist. Myouga certainly wasn't lying when he said that Yusuke had power, and the fact that he was so furious—and was well within his right to be—made it all the more difficult. Speaking of Myouga, he had conveniently disappeared when the black-garbed youkai grabbed her. Once a coward…

She focused on reducing the lust for revenge in Yusuke's soul, sending him soothing vibes through the physical contact she had with him. Slowly, but surely, he relaxed into a solid state of mind…or, at least, as solid as he had been before. When she was certain that he would be okay, she let go and backed out of the embrace. His eyes had closed at one point, and when she left him they opened again, a soft chocolate seeking comfort and reassurance.

"I promise, Yusuke, when this is all over, everyone _will_ be all right. No one is going to be dead if I have any say in it," Kagome swore, and she knew at that moment she had to look older than she was. "This is my burden," she continued, turning away—breaking all eye contact—and walking over to the woman lying on the bench. All conscious eyes followed her, but only Kirara dared to move and stand beside her. "This is my fault."

Her voice didn't tremble to represent that her heart ached so fully that her pain was physical, and weighed down every one of her steps until finally she was kneeling next to the prone figure of the pretty blue-haired…ferry-girl? Somehow, it didn't surprise her in the least. She could easily see the dark energy reinforcing the wounds and rendering them useless to traditional healing methods. The curse on her eyes was also brushing against her as she raised her hand above them, but it was unable to harm her. After assessing the problem, she carefully laid a hand on the woman's cheek and allowed her violet healing energy to seep out of her and into the other woman. The curse was easy enough to break through, only requiring a little bit of her purification power, and the rest was almost child's play. Either Kikyo wasn't really thinking when she was doing this, or she was hoping that Kagome would interfere. Kagome was putting her money on the latter.

The woman still laid unconscious, which was to be expected since her purification had to be used and curses themselves tend to be rather draining on the victim—something she knew of firsthand. Doing another quick scan, she determined that the woman would most likely awake in twelve or so hours. Kagome stood, stretching out any kinks before bending and laying a soft kiss on top of the woman's forehead. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry," Kagome whispered, a lonely tear escaping the confines of her eyelids.

"You mustn't blame yourself for this, Kagome-sama," she heard Myouga say from her shoulder. The Reikai Tantei focused in on the tiny youkai, a small look of realization flashing in their eyes as to the concerns of where the disembodied voice came. She allowed the question of where he was hiding before escape her.

"Why not? The way I see it, this is my fault. I should have been strong enough to stop this before it got so out of control. No matter how you twist it, or try to pin it on someone else, it all comes back to me," the miko rationalized. "I might as well have cursed whoever this is," she gestured to the ferry-girl, "with my own hand, and attacked Keiko in that ally."

None of the beings there, human or otherwise, voiced any of their thoughts—Kagome could understand why. She could tell through reading their auras that the Tantei were confused, some more so than others. The kitsune avatar by the ferry-girl was curious as to what she had to do with it, while the youkai in black was suspicious of her words. Kagome welcomed the silence from them, not much in the mood for dealing with their questions.

It took some time before Myouga was able to compose an argument. "I've been with you for almost three years now, Lady Kagome, and I know things that others can only dream of knowing about you. The fact that your heart is blind to such things as blood and parentage is truly such a rare quality that some might kill you because of it. It is that heart—that soul—which is pure, untainted by what you know and what you've seen. It is also that heart which has borne the brunt of many brutal attacks. Tell me, Lady Kagome, is it really fair to have to make it feel guilt over something that it—that you—had no control over? There are many more important things to deal with right now, and you know what we're up against better than anyone," Myouga declared.

Kagome suddenly felt as though she were a child being scolded by a grandparent, but she couldn't deny the logic behind what Myouga said. _'When did _he _grow up?'_

"Wait a second," Yusuke interjected, moving in closer to Kagome. He stood before her, fierce determination laden in his eyes. "You _know _what's going on? Tell me who's behind this!" he demanded harshly. "Who hurt Keiko?"

Hiei glared at the onna again, his hand poised to unsheathe his sword. If she really played a hand in this, he would kill her after getting what information they needed. 'Pure-heart' crap behind, if this onna was as guilty as she thought she was then death would ensue. Though, if she ignores blood…

_Ridiculous, I need no one,_ he thought bitterly. His glare hardened at the woman for influencing such ludicrous thoughts without even meaning to do so. Sparing a glance to Kurama, he noted that the fox was curious as to what the onna knew of the situation, and somewhere deep down he was as well. Of course, he would never admit it aloud, but how would a ningen know about something that started before her time, and why would she feel guilty over such a thing? Hiei growled mentally: that was the second time that onna deviated his thoughts from the objective mission and she was just standing there.

"It's not like I wanted this to happen!" the onna yelled right back at the detective, her power spiking in time with her rage. A flare of fire seemed to spark in her eyes before it diminished. "To her, I'm nothing! My life is pointless to the universe, and hindering to her 'happiness', or whatever the hell she's trying to pull. Come on, Yusuke, you should know how the old saying goes: hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!"

There was a brutal silence as Hiei quickly noted the change in the atmosphere. Everything—the tree with the odd aura, the wind, the sword strapped to her waist, something in the small shack off to the side of the shrine and something underneath the ground at the odd tree, everything!—seemed to try and soothe the onna. It wasn't normal, not for a youkai, and certainly not for a human.

_So what does that make her?_

§

Kikyo smirked at the dead body of the mother. She disliked her in particular because of the similarities that could be found with her reincarnation. Both of them were kind-hearted, and both of them had a kitsune son—though granted her reincarnate's was adopted.

The Koorime stayed mute, staring dazedly at the corpse of the loving mother. She was grieved, though it was obvious that the two hadn't had any heart-felt conversations like from the others in this little circle. Kikyo stared at the Ice Maiden: she would be the next to die—her similarity to Kagome's purity, a purity Kikyo had long-since lost, needed to be exterminated.

The crimson eyes of the Koorime shifted to look at the old woman. Genkai would die last. Her legendary exorcisms against youkai were honorable, thus granted her a better longevity.

A shinidamachuu took the kitsune's mother's soul and it settled in her pseudo-body. It warranted a sense of brief fulfillment before going back to the stagnant emptiness.

Suddenly, she felt something within her disappear. "It seems that the fool managed to break the curse of that ferry-girl friend of yours," she said aloud, gaining the attention of those present.

"You attacked Botan, too?" Keiko whispered, apparently scandalized.

A gentle look of surprise highlighted her face. "So her name was Botan? Oh well, it's of no matter to me. She has served her purpose. It is now definitely clear to my incarnate that I am indeed here for what I have come for," Kikyo said.

"And what do you want with Kagome?" Shizuru asked in aggravation.

Kikyo glared at the impudent woman. "She has something I want."

"Funny, she doesn't strike me as someone who would steal. However, since you happened to kidnap us, I could definitely imagine that from you," Shizuru said.

Kikyo pointed her index finger at the area of the tree above Shizuru's head. The tip of the finger glowed a black-violet light and the spot on the tree exploded. "Don't test me; I can be rather impatient." She looked to the sun to determine the time. "I trust you can keep yourself entertained." She left the clearing, her shinidamachuu lifting her up and vanishing into the sky.

_She should be there soon._

§

"Wait," Kazuma interrupted, "we're dealing with a woman?"

Kagome turned her eyes to him. "Well…yeah. Didn't you realize that she's attacking all the women you guys care for?"

Once again, the atmosphere grew tense. The kitsune whipped out a cell phone and dialed a number, waited for someone to pick up the line. Apparently, no one did. He hung up and tried another number. This one, at least, seemed successful. "Is Hatanaka Shiori there?" A pause ensued. "Oh, thank you anyway, miss." He hung up and put the mobile away. His viridian eyes screamed unease. "Mother hasn't returned from her lunch-break yet, and that was a few hours ago," he said.

"Kurama…" Yusuke said, trying to offer comfort but unable find the consolidating words. Kagome watched the one named Kurama with empathy, her own mother completely and utterly dead, already cremated and buried at the graveyard by the shrine.

Kazuma had already pulled out his cell and dialed. The fact that no one answered was condemning. "Shizuru isn't picking up her cell phone, and she always has that thing on," he murmured. Kagome felt the Kiseki-Jihi pulse, and the distant callings of both the Shinkirou and the Tetsusaiga, react in response to her grieving. Shizuru…not Shizuru…

Yusuke stole Kazuma's cell and dialed another number. Again, there was no answer. "What are the odds that my mother is just piss-ass drunk?" he asked, handing the phone back over to Kazuma. Kagome sighed, better to get this over with now than later.

"Kikyo is a very tragic woman," she began in monotone. Her voice caught the attention of all who were conscious. "A very long time ago, she used to be a priestess, and wouldn't attack a holy place unless there was an impurity there."

As soon as the statement had been said, the Reikai Tantei suddenly disappeared. She was caught by surprise, something that didn't happen much anymore. She blinked.

They were still gone.

Blink.

They haven't come back yet.

Blink. Blink.

…Still gone.

She rolled her eyes.

_Men!_

"I believe that I forgot to tell you that Yusuke's sensei in the spiritual field lives at a temple, as well as Hiei's sister, Yukina. He was the one that threatened you," Myouga said, sitting cross-legged at his perch on her shoulder.

"Maybe you should have told me that before I decided to enlighten them on the enemy. If they meet Kikyo there, the chances of getting out unscratched are slim to none," Kagome responded with mild sarcasm. She knelt in front of the Goshinboku, laying a comforting hand on the tree before focusing on the earth at its roots. Combining her energy with the dirt, she Willed it to the side.

She could feel the Tessaiga pulsing to meet with her from an ebony box. Carefully, she removed the lid, and a small black pearl floated out, swaying in the air merrily before plummeting painfully into her right eye.

Kagome release a small scream: it felt like her eye was being ripped apart. However, as soon as the pain arrived it ended, leaving only a small feeling of irritation. Her eyes watered, and it was something she allowed, since things are _not_ supposed to go in your eye like that. "Myouga…was that what I think it was?" Kagome asked slowly while taking out the battered looking Tessaiga. She stood and adjusted Kiseki-Jihi to her right side and slid the other sword where it was.

"Well, Kagome-sama, if you think that what just made itself at home in your eye was the Tomb of Inu no Taisho, then yes, that was what you thought it was," the flea answered with no small amount of humor. "It was another thing that you have inherited, and you need it to use Tessaiga to the fullest extent." Kagome sighed as she headed to the well-house. The door slid open easily for her and she summoned her Shinkirou to her hand.

Housed in a sheath made from a branch of the Goshinboku, the blade was sharpened to perfection and so silver that it seemed to be white. The hilt was a dark crimson, and the grip was a black that shone blue in the light. The pommel at the bottom of the grip matched the blade's color, but curled in half at its center, almost like an upside-down heart. It was a sign of her accomplishment as a sword smith, and indirectly a physical representation of herself: beautiful, but deadly and very sharp.

She placed Shinkirou next to Tessaiga on her left side, easily accessible in case of a battle. "Who was Yusuke's sensei?" Kagome asked, forgoing any of her usual battle attire since she was already late and those guys move ridiculously fast. She Willed the air currents under the ferry-girl and moved her to the cushioned reclining chair under the patio, hoping to offer some comfort with the circumstances as they were.

"Master Genkai has trained Yusuke since he was fourteen. Her shrine is quite well-known to those who seek guidance in controlling their sixth sense. Kirara knows the way," Myouga answered. Perking at her name, Kirara transformed into her battle mode and Kagome hopped on her.

Kirara took off as soon as Kagome was settled and placed an invisibility barrier on them.

Myouga disappeared before they even took off.

…Once a coward…

§

Sesshoumaru almost felt the frown in his companion's aura. "You're worried for her," he stated. "You feel it, too, I take it."

Mukuro paused before answering. "It's like being stuck in a dark box and I can't get out. I want to help her, but this is her fight. She would forgive me, because she's like that, but she'd never be able to forgive herself, or answer the questions she needs the answers to." Sesshoumaru heard her sigh. "Too many people have said that she is Kikyo because of her soul and her appearance. It's disorienting to be told such things so many times."

Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement. "It took too long for people to notice that her eyes were blue," he said, his voice hinting at sadness.

Of course, he wasn't really talking about just her eye color when he said that, and he knew Mukuro knew that. The people who meant the most to Kagome had such a hard time accepting that she wasn't Kikyo. InuYasha had difficulties with it at first, but he was stubborn and resented the resemblance she had to the woman who killed him yet at the same time was pained by it as well. However, he was one of the first to also see her as herself. Kaede was the hardest though, and only really changed when Kikyo was revived.

It made sense to Sesshoumaru why Shippou had been so important to the miko. He was the first one to truly see Kagome as Kagome, and Kikyo as another completely different person. The relationship was comparable to what he and Rin once had. Rin didn't see him as a Lord, or even a youkai, but as someone who had needed help, and who protected her. She respected him because of that, not because his father had been powerful or that he could kill her if he so saw fit.

Speaking of those who called him Lord, Jaken was waiting by the barrier on his instructions, and had been ordered to report when Kikyo left for Ningenkai. Even after five centuries, the imp was loyal almost to a fault.

"All things considered, I'm glad to be able to see her again," Mukuro said.

Sesshoumaru just nodded in agreement.

§

The temple was in ruins. Blood was all around, and charred wood and broken structures littered the ground. The struggle was obvious, as was the outcome. Genkai and Yukina were long-since gone.

"Dammit," Kurama heard Hiei curse. They had made it here before Yusuke and Kuwabara, but the sight of the carnage and battle wasn't quite what was expected. He knew Hiei was resisting the urge to burn, maim, and destroy everything in the way to find Yukina.

"Oh no…" Yusuke's voice sounded, announcing his and Kuwabara's presence. Kuwabara was in shock, too stunned to speak. "This can't be happening."

"Oh," a voice in the darkness of the forest said, "but it can and it will." It was a woman, and that was all Kurama needed to know that this was their enemy. The Rose Whip was out immediately.

A powerful blast of the Rei Gun flew past Kurama, and he dodged away a little to avoid being hit by the edges. Yusuke was angry; at least two people, maybe three, that Yusuke directly cared for were taken by this woman.

There was a bright flash before the bullet was sent back to its master, knocking Yusuke back hard enough to send him impacting into one of the trees.

The woman, Kikyo he remembered her name to be, laughed. "Like master like student, it seems. Genkai pulled a move like that, before she lost consciousness," she taunted.

The sky had been growing cloudy and dark for the past few hours, and the scent of threatening rain was upon them. It was odd, the weather reports had not claimed there to be a storm, but one was definitely brewing. Kurama had to wonder if Kikyo was behind it.

Despite the lack of sun, when Kikyo stepped out with her hands behind her back, he could see her clearly. Both he and Youko had to stop the gasp that wanted to come. However, it was Kuwabara who voiced Kurama's thoughts.

"You…look like…" Kuwabara's voice trailed, but Kikyo was quick to interrupt.

"Fool! It is she who looks like me," the kuromiko exclaimed, and just with that one statement Kurama was able to understand the situation a little better.

"I see why Kagome feels so responsible," he said slowly. "She's your reincarnation, but…that means that you're not alive."

Kikyo looked at him for a moment, her expression a mix of expectations gratified and utter disgust. "Yes, you live up to your reputation. It's just such a shame that your mother will never be able to see it."

The atmosphere grew immensely tense after that statement, and for a moment all Kurama could hear was his own lungs expanding and contracting. His widened eyes saw nothing of the concerned looks of his comrades, or the satisfaction of his enemy.

His mother…dead?

For the first time in a long time, Kurama lost his control.

His world was hazed in red as his gaze focus on the cause of this pain. "You…bitch!" he growled, his weapon almost too fast to stop.

Almost.

Kikyo pulled her hands in front of her and revealed a mirror. To his amazement, when the tip of the Rose Whip hit the surface, it seemed to pass through before coming back to him. His shock held him only long enough to move out of the way of a fatal blow, and his weapon imbedded into his stomach before it could do the same to his head.

The action caused everyone to lose concentration on their surroundings. Kurama fell to his knees and his whip transformed into its rose appearance. He felt something coil around his arms, torso, and legs and no sooner than he recognized this they all were pulled back into a tree by some eel-like creatures, which then morphed into vines that held them in place. Kurama was the only one who didn't struggle. His emotional and physical pain was enough to keep him still.

"It's pointless to do that, you know," Kikyo said, as though she were trying to help. "Nothing you do is going to get you out of my shinidamachuu. They only listen to me." She stretched her arms out, flexing her fingers. "Now, let us finish this little rendezvous, shall we?"

Her brown eyes traveled around them, trying to pick which one of them was to die first. Kurama's sensitive ears picked up her mutterings. "Such choices, such choices; should I kill the Forbidden Child…? No, I want him to die after the Fox. Or maybe the oaf, she knows him the best. He's the one who spoiled my plans the first time." She stared at him, and a small smirk formed on her face.

"You," she decided. Kurama felt his body tense, and his breath stilled in his burning lungs. "Another kitsune in Kagome's life to die; granted I don't think that you would ever be as dear to her as that little brat was…Oh well, waste not, want not."

Kikyo lifted one arm up in the air, pointing her index finger at his heart. He felt her ki levels rise to such high levels that it was uncomfortable. Just how strong was this woman? Her extended fingertip was surrounded in a sphere of condense miko-ki, enough to easily vaporize him and his youkai body. This was really it; he was really going to die.

"Goodbye," Kikyo whispered. The sphere disappeared from her finger, and exploded right in his face.

…But he could still hear the desperate cries of his friends, and there was no pain. _'Are we dead?'_ he asked Youko, who had been quite silent since Botan was discovered.

"_Holy shit…"_ was the fox spirit's only reply.

'_What is it?'_

"_Red, open your eyes,"_ Youko whispered in his head.

Kurama's green eyes opened to the sight of dust surrounding his otherwise fine body. At the base of his feet lay a dark smudge in the dirt-mist that covered the air. The wind blew, clearing his eyes to the sight of Kagome struggling to stand up. Keiko's old blouse disintegrated in the force of the blast, revealing the extensive bandages that hid Kagome's back and torso completely from view. There was dried blood on her back, but it seemed that whatever wounds were there had healed. Four puncture scars were on the back of each of her upper arms and above that on her right arm was a vertical scar, as though she was cut by a blade.

She had three swords strapped to her waist, one on the right and two on the left, and they all were far from normal. One in particular looked as though one could snap it in half without even trying.

Finally, she managed a kneeling position, one hand on her abdomen and the other was keeping her balance on the ground. Panting, she raised her head and chuckled. "Fancy meeting you here, eh, Kikyo?"

Kagome closed her eyes as she forced herself to her feet, her body swaying dangerously on its own two feet. She didn't put a barrier around her in case it caused the blast to reflect towards one of the Reikai Tantei. It would be fatal to them, but she could handle the dark purification without much trouble. The force of the attack pained her more than the energy behind it.

After steadying her ground, she opened her eyes again to look at Kikyo. Kanna's mirror was held in one hand, but the other was free. A bow and a quiver of arrows were strapped to her back, just itching to be used again. Her incarnate's aura was much darker than it was the last time, and stronger as well.

_Good thing I've gotten stronger as well,_ Kagome thought to herself.

"Though it has been a long time, incarnate, I can't say I'm happy to see you," Kikyo stated with a chill in her voice. "On the other hand, I am glad to see that you still have the rest of my soul safe in your body."

"Yes, I've been meaning to speak to you about that," Kagome replied.

"I'm not giving what pieces of _my_ soul I have back to you, reincarnate. It was mine before yours and your claim came too late," Kikyo interrupted.

Kagome bristled at that. "You're dead, Kikyo, and you're acting like a child. You lost your soul when you lost your life over five-hundred years ago. Too many people have been hurt because of this. You know you don't belong here, so why are you? What's driving you to do this?"

Kikyo's eyes showed a glimmer of despair before she glared stonily at her. "He died," was the kuromiko's answer.

Kagome looked away. It was still a touchy subject for her. Kikyo had wanted to bring InuYasha to hell, but he died before that could happen. This was more than getting Kagome's soul, this was revenge. With Naraku dead, all Kikyo could do was kill the one who killed the one she tried to kill. "You want more than my soul, you want my life. Is that it?"

Kikyo gave a vindictively soft smile. "I knew you were smart. You are responsible, so you get the death he should have taken. I'm going to defeat you, take my soul, and we'll go to hell together," she responded.

Kagome looked at Kikyo, a deep sadness encrusted in the blue-gray of her eyes. "I can't do that, Kikyo. You know that," she said softly.

That one little statement was enough to incite a furious rage in Kikyo's heart. The kuromiko grabbed her bow and put the Mirror of the Void away at her hip. Instead of grabbing an arrow though, Kikyo charged forward and used the bow like Miroku would use his staff. She swung it at Kagome's head, but Kagome ducked.

"Give me my soul back, you whore!" Kikyo shrieked. The assault continued in rash progression, but Kagome didn't draw any of her swords. If she went to do so, it would leave her open to an attack, and her stomach was still in pain from before.

A roar sounded from the left and Kirara pounced on top of Kikyo. Kagome watched in horror as her opponent tried to purify her friend. The fire-neko was transformed back into her kitten appearance and hurled to the sidelines of the battle. "No, Kirara!" Kagome called, running to her friend.

Blood poured from a burn on the neko's chest, tainting the creamy fur. The four tails moved limply in reply to her mistress's concern, silently telling Kagome to stay fighting and she'd be fine.

"I believe that the ningens nowadays call this deja vu," Kikyo said, drawing an arrow and stringing it into her bow. Kagome carefully set Kirara down, her bangs shadowing her eyes. "But this," Kikyo gestured to the loaded weapon, "is what I call 'just desserts'. Do you have any idea how hard you are to kill? And how many people I had to go through just to get you here?

"First was your family. It took a lot of energy to steal that truck-driver's soul for a long enough period of time for him to crash into your family's car." Kagome tensed.

_Kikyo…Kikyo was responsible for…but then…it was…she…_ A notch of her control slipped. The wind began to pick up, gusting her hair about her face. Thunder bellowed in the cloudy sky, answering her internal bewilderment, and even though it was the wrong season to do so, the leaves in the nearby trees fell around her. Tears began forming in her eyes.

Despite the obscurely obvious warning, Kikyo continued. "Then, and this didn't even have anything to do with me really, your second family—the people who you gave _three years_ of your life to—"

_Don't lose control, Kagome._

"—are brutally murdered in a viscous attack by the same bastard that killed me. Both times you were there to see your families die, and both times you did _nothing_!"

_Don't let her get to you, Kagome!'_

"Your friends were dying around you, the people you loved the most, and you sat there _mourning_ for some pathetic _fox child_!"

_KAGOME! Don't…let…_

Lightning crashed down to the ground, and hail pounded the soft earth. The wind whistled wildly, but Kagome couldn't feel it. The only thing she could feel was her power thrashing to break free of the bind she had on it, the itch it wanted to scratch. She had to try to keep the glamour held on her markings in place. No matter what, she didn't want the Reikai Tantei to know that she was the Jun-Namida no Miko: too much, too fast, too soon, for them and for her. She was still trying to comprehend it all, so how could she just spring this on four unsuspecting people? In the very least, Kazuma and Yusuke deserved more than that.

Still, Kikyo continued, just as lost in her anger as Kagome was. "Everything I've done, all that hard work and you _still_ don't die. You're like a god-damn cockroach!"

Kagome took a deep, calming breath. She couldn't lose control, or all will be lost. The Reikai Tantei—or at least the youkai members—might die in the purifying waves, and if she obliterated Kikyo now, they may never find Shizuru or Keiko or anyone else. She could sense Kikyo like the kuromiko was a jewel shard, since Kikyo held a shard of her soul, but the barrier Kikyo probably set up would be next to impossible to locate if it was hidden as well as she thought it was. At last, she was calm enough to say something, and even salvaged a laugh without humor. "I'm a cockroach, eh? Isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black, Kikyo?" she asked, standing once more to face her incarnate.

Her opponent's brown eyes hardened, and the arrow was released, bathed in the dark purification generated by Kikyo's anger at the implied insult to her existence. The arrow was caught by the shaft between the index and middle finger of Kagome's left hand while her right drew the Shinkirou forward. Kikyo's arrow disintegrated on contact with her skin, and the other miko's eyes widened.

"I see you've finally learned some control," Kikyo commented with a calmness Kagome knew she did not feel.

"You don't know the half of it," Kagome replied. She placed Shinkirou in an offensive position and charged. The sword arched downward and impacted on Kikyo's right shoulder, sinking in a few centimeters. "What were you saying about deja vu?"

It was true; the wound in Kikyo's shoulder was very reminiscent of the one she received with her first death. At last, Kikyo seemed really angry.

The kuromiko delivered a sucker-punch to the tender skin of Kagome's stomach, knocking the wind out of her and throwing her back a few steps before attacking her with another blast of ki.

The Reikai Tantei heard Kagome scream in pain, but couldn't see anything with the dust and debris cluttering the air. Footsteps could be heard, and the thud of what could be assumed was a sword against a bow. The sounds continued before Kikyo screamed, but whether in pain or aggravation, they couldn't tell. Another blast of dark ki unsettled the earth again, perpetuating the time until they could see what was going on. More sounds of a struggle, and the sound of an arrow being removed from a quiver, and a sword slicing through something. There was a shattering, as though a piece of pottery had just been broken, and a twang of a bow string being released, a whoosh and a thud as whatever had been whooshing hit its target.

The hail that was beating down on them changed rapidly into rain, quickly soaking anything that wasn't sheltered and clearing the dirt from the air. The battlefield was revealed to apparently have no victor.

On one side, with both legs gone and a hole in her abdomen was Kikyo, her false body not bleeding with the blood it didn't have. Her eyes were closed.

On the other side was Kagome. The sword she had been using was held in a loose grip in her right hand, relaxed and unresponsive. Her eyes were closed as well, and it seemed almost like she was asleep.

But she wasn't asleep, and it was a fact that tore at Kuwabara and Yusuke's already damaged souls. She couldn't be asleep, because no one can simply be asleep if she is hanging from a tree with an arrow imbedded in her heart.

§§§§§

**A/N: Ha ha! Cliffhangers are so much fun! I think I should do them for every chapter...**

**Anyway, I'd hate to have to say this, but please people, come on! Review! It's not that hard, and I know that there are more than forty people who read this story. Actually, it's more like six hundred. Now, I'm not asking for six hundred reviews because I do have a soul and I don't feel like waiting fifty years until I update. However, I will ask that you at least review this chapter. Who knows, maybe you might like it? The more reviews I get, the better the chapter will be because I know that people want to see it. I won't say "I want at least six hundred reviews before I update" because I don't want to force you into doing it. I will ask though.**

**Review, please!**


	7. Wait and Bleed

**A/N: I'm ridiculously sorry for the ludicrous amount of time it took to get this chapter out, but a lot of stuff happens in it, and a lot of stuff happened to me while I was writing it. I'll admit, the first month (I can't believe I have to use that word) was pure writer's block, and what I did write didn't feel right, so I scrapped it. Then, next month, I was ridiculously sick for three weeks in with I got an MRI, an X-ray, and blood work done and they still couldn't figure out what was wrong with me (apparently, I showed signs of a blood clot in the brain or something, pneumonia, and mononucleosis, but I didn't actually _have_ them). Thankfully, this was on Thanksgiving break, or I would have missed even more school. I then worked my ass off trying to make up the work and the eight tests I missed (fucking teachers), and I still have three more to do. Oh, and my brother got in a car accident while we and our neighbor were going to school. No one was hurt (the airbags didn't even deploy), but it still put a bummer on my mood.**

**Enough of my bitching though, this chapter has over 8,000 words in it to make up to you guys. I can't believe it's almost been three months since my last update. **

**Disclaimer: Seriously, the only thing I own in this story are the ideas and concepts not shown in the series. I don't own the characters, but I do own that sexy red electric guitar-shaped paperclip.**

**Helpful Note: You'll notice in this chapter that the legend of the Shikon no Tama doesn't have all the correct details. This was done purposefully. Things that may not have happened in Kagome's reality happen in the legend. (In this story, while very close, InuYasha and Kagome's relationship doesn't really step into romance.)**

//The Phoenix\\

§Wait and Bleed§

"Patience, n. A minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue."

--Ambrose Bierce

It seemed that nothing dared to interrupt the silence as it perpetuated through the devastated temple grounds. Only the rain, with its soft and mournful pattering, had the venial audacity to break it. The wind had stopped its billowing, seemingly too stunned at what has happened to act as though this was meant to be. However, it wasn't and the wind didn't blow.

Confusion was predominant, followed closely by a heartache so tangible it might as well have been he who was pinned to a tree by an arrow. There were many questions skating through his mind, but the only one he could focus on was "Why?" Had his arm been free, he would have run a hand through his black hair.

Yusuke looked over to Kuwabara. His friend appeared ready to vomit at the brutality that lay so simply before them. If he felt this horrible Yusuke didn't even want to begin to imagine what Kuwabara felt right now. He wanted to call out, say something to comfort Kuwabara, but he didn't want to be the one to disrupt the silence—the only thread that seemed to hold the feeling of unreality upon them. Besides, what could he possibly say? Any words that could offer comfort of any significant value had to be said by Kagome herself.

Movement in his peripherals drew his gaze instead to Kurama and Hiei. Kurama had tried to lean over to get a look at Kuwabara, probably able to smell the emotional torment coming off of his scent. His face was impassive but his emerald eyes showed what it did not, a mosaic masterpiece of having the facts but not knowing the reasoning behind them.

Hiei though, Yusuke would never, could never even begin to fathom what was going on in the Jaganshi's mind, but he was staring intently at Kagome. The only giveaway was the slight limpness of Hiei's usually proud shoulders—a sign of hope resigned. Yusuke wasn't a fool, and had made a reputation out of noticing the little things that often led to great victories on his part. He had seen the look in Hiei's eyes when the flea demon mentioned Kagome's capacity for love, as well as her blindness on—what she deemed—were trivial and not meant to be seen anyway. As a Forbidden Child no one had offered him the love he needed, and now one of the few creatures that could give it and show him how to return it was dead.

Kagome was dead.

_Kagome_ was dead. He couldn't hear a heartbeat. There was nothing there to listen to, and suddenly the silence was no longer a selfish veil of unreality, but a stark testament of the truth.

Kagome was _dead._

§

Considering she had the knowledge of what it felt like to be hit by a truck, she couldn't exactly say that this feeling was what she was experiencing. Granted, it did feel very close with its sudden appearance and lingering pain, but this was completely different on the scale that—for the most part—what she was feeling was emotional.

Kagome slowly blinked up and noticed that she was in the Shikon again. Midoriko knelt at her side, administering a cold rag that had been soaked in the nearby brook to her forehead. The Shikon's creator smiled gently at her. "You've been out for a while, Wakamusha. I must admit I was concerned for your revival," Midoriko informed in a soft voice.

"Am I…?" The question sagged but the point still made it to the target.

"In a way: yes, you are dead. However, as I told you before, the Shikon would never allow its Guardian to die. You are too important for such a death," the older miko said. "Besides, you are too powerful to be killed by the dead; you would have survived this even if the Shikon wasn't behind it."

Kagome carefully stood and stretched her arms high above her head, bending forward to elongate her spine. When righted again, she turned towards Midoriko. "Do you have any suggestions to getting through this?"

Midoriko's face became thoughtful as she pondered how to respond. "Assess the situation, and then plot it now while you still have the chance. There is no telling what lies beyond you, best be prepared for whatever decides to come. What do you plan to do about the kitsune's mother's soul?" Midoriko asked.

Kagome paused, an odd look of determination in her eyes, before giving her answer, "Exactly what I plan to do with the part of my own soul Kikyo has in her possession: I take it back."

§

It shouldn't matter. There was no reason for it to even concern him, and yet it did. A long gap of time existed between now and the last time he felt this…lost. Of course, the last time this emotion came to him was when the hiruiseki that his mother had cried for him as a baby was cut from around his neck. Though that time, he was able to seek retribution, and eventually it was given back to him by Mukuro many decades later.

Kagome wasn't a gem to be given back. Besides, what right did he have to want her back? What reason? The only words that he had spoken to her were threats and subtle accusations. Why in Makai would he want her back when she was only a human, a weak and pathetic creature?

Hiei mentally released the sigh he had been building up. He knew that answer, and he hated it.

Upon Kurama's request, he had taken up observing her and it was through this that he was able to see things about her that he had never really found in anyone or anything. When she was awake, she was very down-to-earth, not preoccupied by what so many other pathetic humans felt was essential like what garments are worn or who was dating which jackass when and for how long. And when she was asleep, her face would sometimes contort, her eyes would roll around in her head, her hands would twitch occasionally, and, in a voice so soft that he was hard pressed to hear it, she would release a shattering whimper. The fact that she had nightmares, was haunted by what he could instinctively tell were her memories, gave him something that linked him to her.

It didn't take him long to figure out that he was no longer watching her because Kurama had asked him, but instead he observed her for his own needs—needs he was sure died a very long time ago.

It was a shame that he would never get to be with her, and probably wouldn't have been able to even if she wasn't dead right now. She was a miko, a creation of holiness placed in the world to destroy things like him. She would never have been able to truly love him.

…_Right?_

A groan, distinctly feminine, resounded in the silence of the clearing, breaking Hiei from his mournful musings. His eyes instantly shot up to look at Kagome, but to his dismay she was as still as she had been five seconds ago. Inwardly wincing, he shifted his gaze to Kikyo.

She was blinking against the still steady fall of rain, apparently stunned to be on the ground in the first place. She gathered her bearings, taking in the fact that she was down two legs, he and his teammates were still held helplessly to the trees, and that her reincarnation was successfully pinned to a tree as well. A small grin worked its way onto her pale lips, before her eyes narrowed hatefully at Kagome. She struggled silently into a sitting position, and Hiei distinctly heard the words, "I'll just have to be quick then," release itself from her throat just moments preceding a rather nasty coughing fit.

Hiei didn't bother to restrain himself from wishing she would choke.

When his wish wasn't granted and she regained control of herself she raised her arms into the air. The sickly green eel-like demons floated down from the sky and wrapped around her, lifting her into the air. She drifted over to Kagome, observing her carefully before she reeled her right arm back and swung it relentlessly into the dead girl's cheek.

"What the hell!" Yusuke exclaimed. "You fucking wench! She's dead dammit! Aren't you happy yet! Aren't you satisfied?"

Kikyo turned to him, her cold brown eyes betraying nothing. "No, I'm not," she answered simply.

This time it was Kuwabara who spoke; his voice betrayed everything he was feeling. "How dare you! You kill off an innocent person, did what you came here to do, and you _dare_ to not be happy about it!" His fury took away his voice, and all he could do was grind his teeth and bite his tongue.

Kikyo moved her right arm to face Kuwabara, and Hiei felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise as the power grew in its intensity. The air seemed to cackle angrily in response as Hiei was actually beginning to worry for the man. "Do not presume to understand my nature," Kikyo responded in her usual tone. "I have lost more than can be gained. It will never be enough."

Hiei's agile eyes were able to see the sphere of power leave her hand and head towards Kuwabara. He turned his eyes away; he was unwilling to see his teammate's death, even if he didn't particularly care for Kuwabara as it was anyway. After a few moments of silence, Hiei opened his eyes, expecting carnage to greet him.

It was quite the bittersweet surprise to see that the oaf was still fully intact and obviously alive. A light violet barrier, radiating purity, had deflected the blast somewhere in the opposite direction. Confusion melted into shock—yes, actual shock—when he looked at the two priestesses and saw the beautiful blue-grey eyes of Kagome slowly starting to open once more.

For some reason, one he couldn't explain, Hiei was relieved to see them.

§

Kagome forced herself into consciousness only to have to struggle to maintain it. The pain her physical body was going through was enough to push her right back into the darkness, but it wasn't what she wanted. Later, she promised herself, later she would rest.

Before she even could open her eyes, she felt Kikyo's energy rising and focusing into a point. She heard what Kikyo had said to Kazuma and knew this was directed for him. A barrier sprung itself around him a millisecond before what would have been a rather fatal blast could make contact.

Her head was resting slightly on one side and she imagined she looked much like how InuYasha had looked when she had first seen him. When she was finally able to flutter her eyelids enough to make a vague depiction of what was happening around her, the world was slightly tilted because of this position. Finally, she gathered enough strength to keep her eyes open, but the lids were so heavy that she could only keep them open to a certain point. She tried to move a little, but the slightest twitch of her left hand forced her to close her eyes again. This hurt so much…

After a few moments of calming her body down again, she opened her eyes once more, traveling them across the shrine clearing. Kirara was still resting in her kitten form, looking quite happy that she was alive, but apparently not all that surprised. The Reikai Tantei looked thoroughly shocked, Kazuma probably so shocked that he didn't realize tears were rolling down his cheeks. At last, she focused her gaze on Kikyo, who looked positively livid to see her awake.

Kagome, probably the only one who was calm and actually looked it, swallowed before saying, "If it will never be enough, Kikyo, then why are you doing it in the first place?" Her voice was weak and tired, but its effect on the dead priestess made it seem as though it was as sharp as the sword that still dangled uselessly in her right hand.

Kikyo's shinidamachuu flew her back what would be a few paces. "I had not intended you to wake when I shot you, reincarnate. How is it you are not dead?" the older woman asked.

"Don't skate around my question, Kikyo," Kagome ordered, her weak voice full of accusation.

"And why not? You have just done the same to my question," Kikyo shot back.

Kagome released a heavy sigh. "I asked you first. My question should be given an answer before yours is satisfied," she responded, a small frown forming on her face. It was so cold.

"That's a fairly childish reason to not answer, reincarnate."

"Yes, but then again, this whole thing is childish on your part, isn't it, Kikyo?" Kagome asked before elaborating. "I mean, here you are, taking souls, taking life, and none of it even belongs to you. You said so yourself that nothing will ever make it enough, but you do it anyway, like a child who throws a tantrum. Is that not how you're acting, Kikyo? Like a child, right? I mean, you can't even bear to say my name, Kikyo. You may be older between the two of us, but who is really the childish one here? Or are you not going to answer this question as well?"

Kikyo moved back further, obviously surprised by Kagome's words, but in the end indignation won out. "Silence, reincarnate. Your questions aren't worth an answer. You are beneath me, and you are only alive now by circumstance."

Kagome allowed herself to glare at this remark. "I am alive because I am not so weak as to be killed by the likes of you," she said.

"'The likes of me?' Tell me, what are my 'likes'?" Kikyo asked mockingly.

Rolling her eyes, Kagome answered, "Dead. You are hopelessly dead, Kikyo, and you have to maintain yourself by absorbing the souls of dead women. You're dead, and you're childish: a dead child. And like all dead children, it's tragic, but just because you lost your life does not give you the right to take another's soul. I'm sorry, Kikyo, but you were robbed of something that just can't be taken back."

The dead miko looked as though she had been struck, but only Kagome's eyes could see the true damage her words inflicted on the woman. To her, Kikyo's layers were slowly being removed, and only to her did the dead child show itself. "It's not fair," it said at last. "I killed you, but you're alive."

"Yes, but I've been paying for it. You know me better than anyone here, Kikyo, except maybe Kirara." Kagome closed her eyes and sighed sadly. "You know what this has cost me."

The child, unsatisfied with this answer, started to shout in a rage again. "But I paid, too. I did it, I sacrificed for it. Why am I the one who stayed dead! It's not fair!" it yelled again.

"You were a priestess born and raised, Kikyo. You were made to protect it, to destroy. It was just something added on to a regular routine. It's different for me, because I wasn't raised to be a priestess. To one moment be a regular human, and then to suddenly learn that you're different, and that you now have this responsibility…it almost crushed me. For the past three years of my life I've been a big bull's-eye for any power-hungry fool, human or demon or both. You didn't have to give your life to it like I have, and even you couldn't handle the pressure I bear. _It's why you died!_ And now you're making it all the harder for me! I lost my family, my friends, and the place that had become my home! But I have Kirara, I have Kazuma, I have Shizuru, I have Yusuke, I have Myouga, I have my shrine! They are enough for me, and here you are trying to take them away! Did you honestly think I'd lie down as you trampled over everything I cared for!" Kagome yelled back, just as angry. Thunder boomed in the background, the wind cycloned around them, picking up stray leaves and branches, and lightning struck dangerously close to Kikyo.

Painstakingly, Kagome sheathed the Shinkirou and drew forth the Kiseki-Jihi. Unsure of what exactly she was doing but following her instincts, she expanded her power and lifted the sword that gleamed like purple flames. Kikyo gave a cry as her power flooded the clay body, emancipating the small white souls from their prison. Her hama no reiyoku left Kikyo to guide the souls into the sword that gives back life, protecting them there. She sheathed the sword and redrew the Shinkirou, but it was too late. Kikyo had left, floating up and disappearing, leaving only her voice to weakly echo, "We'll continue this later, reincarnate."

§

The weather had settled immediately, but a light shower of rain still fell. It took everyone a second to process what had happened, but even when that second passed they were still quiet for some time.

Kurama worked diligently on getting off the tree. He shook his head enough to loosen some of the seeds from his hair, and caught the one he was looking for. Using his energy, he grew it enough to do the job required. Something akin to a Venus flytrap started eating away at the bindings until at last he was free. After returning all the seeds to his hair, he silently freed Hiei, who in turn took out his sword and quickly cut free his remaining teammates. Kagome was the only one not off of a tree.

During this, Kirara again transformed into her fighting form and stood beside her mistress. She rubbed her head against Kagome's limp left hand, gaining the young woman's attention. The miko gave a small smile. "You know, Kirara, I don't think this is what they meant by a rock and a hard place," she whispered, but drew back the attention of the Reikai Tantei.

The team moved in front of the miko and the cat demon. "So…how are we getting you down?" Yusuke asked, uncomfortably staring at the arrow still imbedded in his friend's heart.

"_I think that's a fair question,"_ Youko said from the back of Kurama's mind. He continued, _"I also think that a fairer question would be 'What the hell just happened?' but I'm not going to be picky right now."_ Kurama remained quiet, not giving a reply to the kitsune spirit. _"Come on, Red,"_ Youko consoled, _"Mother might not be gone for good."_

'_Kikyo killed her. She died,'_ Kurama finally replied. _'I feel it in my heart that mother died.'_

Youko shook his mental head. _"Don't tell me that you don't know what that girl did just now, Red. You're mourning when you should be jumping for joy…well, maybe not something so cliché…"_

'_What do you mean, Youko?'_ Kurama asked, in a rare state of confusion.

"_I swear, Red, sometimes you're just hopeless,"_ the silver fox spirit admonished before explaining, _"Kagome is using that sword, the one that looks like it has a purple blade, as a sponge to hold in the souls that Kikyo was using to move around. _She's_ the one with Mother's soul now, not Kikyo."_

"Any ideas, Kurama?" Yusuke's voice interrupted, causing Kurama to jump. He turned wide viridian eyes to the leader. "To get Kagome down? We can't touch the arrow; its got the same sort of magic on it that Botan's eyes had," Yusuke elaborated, noticing the slightly bewildered look in his eyes.

Kurama looked speculatively at Kagome. Her breathing was slow and labored, indicating pain, but her face was calm, fixing her gaze at the large fire-cat nuzzling its head into her limp left hand. However, despite the calm, her eyelids flickered dangerously as though she was about to pass out; a distinct possibility. Sometime during his talk with Youko, the sword she had drawn was back in its sheath on the opposite side of the one holding his mother's soul. Due to gravity, her right side sagged uncomfortably, all of her weight being supported only by the arrow.

"We can't touch the arrow, but can she?" he asked. "She broke the spell on Botan, maybe she can do the same to the arrow, and we can get her down from there," he suggested before turning to Kagome, "Do you think you can do that?"

The priestess frowned, but nodded all the same. "You'd have to move my hand for me, though," she added, her voice even weaker than before. Everyone looked to Kuwabara, but he still seemed so stunned that Kagome was alive that he couldn't move. Instead, Yusuke stepped forward and carefully took the miko's right hand, standing back after placing it on the arrow.

§

Despite Yusuke's gentleness, uncharacteristic though it was, Kagome still had to withhold the wince at the movement. Closing her eyes in feigned concentration and real exhaustion, she allowed scenarios of what would happen if she just removed Kikyo's aura from the arrow, not purifying it to dust, to run through her mind. One particularly gruesome one of two guys on each arm, pulling hard in an effort to dislodge her, was enough for her to disintegrate the damn thing instantly, preferring to fall than be pulled off.

However, instead of hitting the hard, muddy ground below her, she felt a firm, incredibly warm surface catch her. She knew the instant arms which weren't her own were steadying her that someone caught her, but who could be fast enough to do so when all the guys had moved back to avoid any backlash that might come from her powers?

"Nice catch, Hiei!" she heard Yusuke praise. A little surprised, she opened her eyes to crimson. Blushing slightly at the closeness of their faces, she gazed into Hiei's eyes, giving a slight smile. Almost tenderly, he laid her back onto another soft surface, only this one was fluffy. Soft purring told her that Kirara had taken up being her resting place for the time being. As Hiei pulled away, Kagome was once more reminded of just how cold she was at the moment, but before she could even voice this, fatigue and pain finally took her consciousness away.

§

"Not a word, wench," Kikyo mumbled as her shinidamachuu brought her into the clearing holding her prisoners. Her reincarnation had gotten _much_ better than anticipated, and it certainly threw a wrench in her plans.

"What the hell happened to you?" Shizuru asked anyway, certainly not sympathetic. In fact, the young woman sounded positively ecstatic given the circumstances. "It looks like your legs lost a fight to a wood chipper."

Kikyo glared before settling back against an unoccupied tree. It was about all she could do now that the souls inside her were released. Most of her shinidamachuu were already gathering more for her, but some were using themselves to reconstruct her legs. The unusual silence made Kikyo look up, finally noticing that everyone was looking at her for an explanation. "I have never been near a wood chipper in my entire existence, so I doubt I would have just walked up to it. It is even more doubtful that I would have fallen in battle to one, either."

"So it was one of the Spirit Detectives, right?" Shizuru ventured.

Kikyo snorted, "Spare me your pathetic notions. Your little boys were easily restrained in under five minutes." At this point, she turned her head and whispered with malice, "No, it was that little bitch that did this to me."

"_Kagome_, did this to you?" Keiko asked, completely astonished. "But she could barely walk the last time I saw her!"

The kuromiko glared at the girl before saying, "You know nothing about my reincarnation. I am not so foolish as to doubt her strength, neither should you." With that said, Kikyo promptly fell into a recovering sleep.

§

"When is she going to wake up?"

"Which one, Yusuke?"

"I don't know. I just want them to wake up."

"Did Kagome say when Botan would regain consciousness?"

"I don't think so, Kurama. You'd be the first to remember if she did though."

"…I still have trouble believing _Kagome_ could put up with an arrow in her heart. I don't think I've ever been so…scared in all my life when I thought she was dead."

"I hear ya, Kuwabara…I hear ya."

"Yes, it was quite remarkable. However, even more so would be that she used that sword, the only one we were able to remove from her, to hold the souls that Kikyo had managed to steal. I've never heard of such a thing…You've been more silent than usual, Hiei. Do you have any thoughts on the matter?"

Hiei opened his eyes and stood away from the wall he was leaning against. "Hn," he replied before moving to the window ledge. They all were safe inside the Higurashi household, which Kurama unlocked with his legendary skills. Botan was lying on the couch; the healing fox that held her dear to his heart was sitting on the edge, passing a cool cloth over her head despite the lack of fever. Hiei had a very accurate suspicion that he was just trying to keep his mind off of his mother's death. Kagome, as she was the shorter of the two women, was propped up slightly against the arm of the loveseat, her legs resting against the rest of the sofa and a small blanket protecting her modesty (no shirt, little left of skirt, lots left for the wandering eye to see). Kuwabara sat against the love seat on the carpet, and Yusuke took up the remaining chair, nursing the bruise on his chest from his own attack. Kirara was lying on the back of the loveseat, healing her own wounds and watching over Kagome at the same time.

"Just wonderful," Yusuke mumbled, "of all the days to forget my Hiei-Japanese dictionary. Kurama, you're fluent, was that an 'I don't have a clue but like hell I'd tell you that' hn, or an 'I have a few ideas but I don't want to say them' hn?"

The redhead frowned for a moment in thought. "I believe it was the latter, Yusuke. This is too interesting for Hiei not to have thoughts concerning it," Kurama answered, moving his emerald gaze from the team leader to the Jaganshi, an eyebrow raised in query. "Your input would be very useful, Hiei. If you don't want to speak of that sword, how about the other two? They wouldn't let us touch her after you caught her, and the battered one let only Kuwabara and Yusuke touch it, but the one she used stopped them both from removing it from her side. It's almost like…" He trailed off, as his thoughts were getting close to ridiculous.

All the same though, Hiei nodded and finished, "Like they have a mind of their own. All of them are shielding her, particularly the battered one."

"A mind of their own?" Kuwabara asked credulously. His eyes trailed to the one sword they could all hold, but none could draw. It was lying innocuously on top of the blanket Kagome was using. "Is that even possible?"

"I've heard legends of some swords that were able to do that. One belongs to Lord Sesshoumaru, but he's never used it, so I don't know what it does. Another is believed to be that sword's sister, but it's hidden in the tomb of the Great Lord InuTaisho, Lord Sesshoumaru's father, and only the Lord of the West knows where it lays," Kurama informed.

"So wait," Yusuke interrupted, "this famous lord dies, and the only one who knows where the tomb rests is the guy's son? Call me crazy but that's just a smidge unbelievable."

The fox avatar smiled wryly. "Tell me about it. 'Seeing, but never seen. Protected, yet never shown to its protector.' That's the only clue given for finding it, and even Youko couldn't figure it out. It makes little sense. Inu no Taisho was of incomparable stature, his tomb would have to be huge to house him, so how could its protector never see it? The sword inside of it was probably the only treasure Youko never managed to steal. Pity, too. It was said to take out one hundred demons in only one swing…"

Yusuke and Kuwabara's eyes bulged at that statement. "That many…in one swing?" Kuwabara whispered. "Nah, no way…"

"Hn, don't be so hasty. The Hokori no Hanyou wielded it to protect his lover, the Jun-Namida no Miko. There are some witnesses who remember it. They say it was like great talons made of wind cycloning towards the enemy and ripping them to shreds," Hiei enlightened. "When Hokori died, the sword vanished. The generally accepted version says that it returned to the tomb, other's say that it was thrown into the river that he was tossed into when he was killed in the last battle of the war for the Shikon no Tama, and that it simply sank and was caught in a loose rock or some underwater reeds. One or two hopeless romantics say that the sword still guards Jun-Namida, protecting her as he would have desired to had he survived, but since her survival is still subject of great debate anyway, no one else really believes it."

"Hey, I think I've heard this legend," Kuwabara said slowly, as though he were unsure of himself. "My history teacher spent a lesson on it. You mean to tell me that it's not just a myth?"

"It's as genuine as you are, Kuwabara," Kurama answered. "Those that met the Densetsu no Gumi and formed personal connections with the members won't speak of them, or reveal what their names really are. Hokori got the sword by traveling to Inu no Taisho's tomb, but that Jun-Namida was the only one capable of removing it and she gave it to him. Rumors say that he must have been Lord Sesshoumaru's late half-brother, InuYasha, but as to what kind of half-demon Hokori was has never been told, and as Lord Sesshoumaru has never said anything on the matter, it's too much of a speculation to have a viable fact."

"But isn't that silence condemning?" Yusuke asked. "It's like hearing nothing from a man on trial for murder."

"Not really, Yusuke," said Kurama. "Despite the fact that you're a fellow lord, you've never met Lord Sesshoumaru. He didn't even participate in the tournament you threw to determine who would rule your lands until you decided to take up your birthright, and he's powerful enough to have won it with only one hand."

Here, Hiei couldn't resist his snort, gaining everyone's attention. "He'd have to, as one hand is all he has," he explained.

"As I was saying: Lord Sesshoumaru is very powerful, and very reclusive. He speaks only if he must, and no one really has the guts to ask him whether Hokori was indeed InuYasha after all," Kurama continued.

"You mean even Yomi and Mukuro haven't asked him?" Kuwabara asked, impressed.

"Hn, it is believed to be a death wish, as InuYasha is the _reason_ Sesshoumaru is down an arm," Hiei answered, the barest hint of a smirk on his face. "Besides, not only is Mukuro close to Sesshoumaru, but the Jun-Namida saved her life once. She never said if they were close, or if they even spoke more than a few words to each other, but with those two as possible sources, she probably doesn't even need to ask what Hokori was really called."

"You know, you guys aren't really all that good at keeping your voices down. Don't you know that the injured need rest?" Everyone turned and watched as Kagome struggled to sit up. She looked around, noting the surroundings of her living room before asking tiredly, "How long have I been out?"

"About an hour," Yusuke answered. "How do you feel?"

"Like I'm having a heart attack," she said bluntly. The miko held a hand to her heart, feeling the slow, almost steady beat. "I'm healing…but not quickly enough. I'll never be able to fight her like this."

Kagome stood, despite the protests, and used the sword that laid on her blanket to limp down the hall and out the door. The Reikai Tantei followed her to the odd tree that they had encountered on their way over the first time. They watched, mystified, as Kagome lay her open palm on the trunk and was surrounded by a brilliant glow. The tree's energy washed over her, into her, and when it receded it left a healed priestess in its wake. "Thank you, Goshinboku," she whispered as she smiled up into the tree. With that same expression on her face, she turned to the Reikai Tantei as Kirara bounded onto her shoulder. "I love this tree."

Kagome walked over to them while a glowing hand healed Kirara until she stood in front of Kuwabara. The neko jumped from her perch as her mistress threw her arms around the man. Before he could even react she pulled away and hugged Yusuke who managed to returned it. "I'm sorry you had to be involved in all of this," was her reasoning before she moved on to Kurama saying, "And I'm sorry your mother was the first to fall." Lastly, most surprisingly, Kagome hugged Hiei, their cheeks brushing against each other lightly as she whispered, "But thank you…for catching me."

§

"I wonder how they're doing…"

Sesshoumaru turned his head slightly to look at Mukuro. A small pout was barely visible on her lips, a gesture she must have picked up from Kagome, as the miko did it whenever she was worried. It was rather…cute. "Fine, I'm sure. They are too stubborn to let themselves fall."

"I know, Sesshoumaru." _Hiei, Kagome, don't die…please._

§

Kagome opened the door to the well house. "Don't come in here," she told the boys before she walked inside, closing the door behind her. Everything was how she had left it, no bloodstains or anything. She looked upon the walls, pegged to them were weapons: a staff, three bows and four quivers with a pile of arrows waiting underneath, her own Hiraikotsu (she didn't use it much, but it was very good for an upper body workout and balance practice), an empty space she used to hold the Shinkirou, and many small daggers that could be used for easy concealment. In one corner of the walkway was a chest of all the poisons she already made (with a lock on it that only opened at her touch), the next corner held all the healing supplements that were also already done, the third had many jars of dried herbs and other ingredients also held in a chest with a special lock (a safety precaution as some herbs were poisonous). Kagome walked to the last corner, the one that held a small stack of clothes.

One was her traditional taijiya uniform and green armor; another was a different version that had a short skirt with slits up the side and tight shorts that fit underneath that. She looked at those with great consideration before deciding against it. _No, Kikyo was human, this armor wasn't meant to be used against her when she was alive, and I won't use it when she's dead._ Instead, she turned for the last set of clothes: loose green pants and a light violet, sleeveless shirt with dark blue flowers trimming the collar. They were her day clothes in the Sengoku Jidai.

Before she left, she pulled down her favorite bow and quiver, taking only one arrow for them.

Outside, she noticed that the Reikai Tantei was waiting for her. They looked up when she slid open the door and closed it again. "I'm going to take a shower and change. It should take Kikyo about four hours to recuperate enough to kill someone, which means three hours are ours to find her. I should only be half an hour tops, so during that time do what you want, whether it's work out some aggression, think about a plan, whatever. We'll meet in the living room when I'm done, okay?" she explained. They nodded once before going off. Kagome turned to the neko beside her. "Come on, Kirara; let's get all this blood off."

§

"I say we sneak up on her."

"It won't do. Kikyo knows we're going to go on the offensive so she'll be using her mirror to watch us," Kagome shot down once again.

"No way!" Kuwabara exclaimed. "What else does it do! Let her fly?"

"No, her shinidamachuu do that for her, but it'll steal souls, so don't look into it. Our best bet would be to cause enough of a distraction to get rid of the mirror and let me handle it from there. We can use that time to free our friends and family so they won't be a liability. When you get them run away and don't come back." She raised a hand to silence the outcry of protest. "No matter what you do, none of you can stop her. I can."

"Like you handled her before?" Hiei retorted, glaring at the miko. He didn't appreciate being ordered around.

Kagome met his eyes in a challenge. "If I managed to weaken her as much as I did, do you honestly thing I let her escape accidentally? Kikyo is good at hiding things she doesn't want to be found, the fact that she hasn't been caught yet is proof of that. If I ended her then, odds are we'd never find where our loved ones are hidden. I can track her using my soul. It pulls more strongly the closer the two parts are to each other, and no barrier will be able to interfere with it." She ended her staring match to stand up. "So, is it a plan?"

Yusuke looked his team in the eyes before saying, "It's a plan."

§

After four grueling hours, Kikyo was finally recovered, and she decided to celebrate before her reincarnation and the Reikai dogs made it there, which, according to her mirror, would be in about five minutes. Stretching, she grabbed her bow and slung a quiver of arrows over her shoulder. Everyone was awake…except the 'dearly departed' mother, of course.

"What the hell are you looking so happy about?" Kikyo turned to Genkai, looking rather exasperated.

"I certainly hope that you will be less of a talker than that one," she indicated Shizuru with a vague hand gesture. "It is quite annoying and very rude as well."

"Oh yes," Keiko ventured, "because kidnapping and killing people is just at the pinnacle of decorum. I apologize if I seem a little barbaric to you." An arrow plunged into the tree close to her head, shaving a couple of hairs short.

"If you are quite finished, I have a heart to break, thank you," Kikyo spat, lowering the bow. She basked in the silence and the fear that her actions instilled in her hostages. Her surprise that Keiko was the one to speak out first was well hidden (after all, it had been Shizuru who had taken up heckling her), but she supposed all that time with Urameshi must have influenced her a little bit. "Now, where was I?" A mocking thoughtful expression came across her face before turning purposefully towards the Koorime. "Oh yes, your breaking heart."

Yukina looked shocked for a second, but the expression quickly left to be replaced by a show of cold indifference. Kikyo smiled cruelly at it. "Yes, it's quite an amazing trait, sudden stoicism; you learned it when you were held captive by…Tarukane, yes?" The Ice Maiden refused to say a word. "And that silence…you are quite like your brother sometimes, aren't you?" The expression faltered but was quickly remedied, and a word never passed her lips. However, the small slip was all Kikyo needed to know a sore spot was hit. "Yes, you both managed to inherit that infamous Koorime impassive disposition."

Kikyo briefly noted that not one of the other women were saying anything to protest, but a quick glance showed that they were in a mix of shock, fear, and anger over the presiding conversation. Silence was the best they could manage. The kuromiko returned her eyes to Yukina, but was slightly disappointed to note hardly a crack in the expression the Ice Maiden wore. "Icy and impassive," the young demon said with an edge to her voice, sounding very much like her brother, "yes, you would fit in quite well there. At least, you would more than I ever did. To throw a baby off the island just because it was a boy, because he was born surrounded by a flame and had to be wrapped in a special cloth, because hybrids before him, other boys with Koorime blood, were said to be violent, but they didn't even bother to try and nurture him…I'm disgusted by my people," she admitted softly. "I'm also disgusted by you."

The kuromiko grinned, idly examining her bow. "You even have the same opinion of your own kind as your older brother. He returned there, to the island, did you know?" she asked conversationally, not waiting for the stunned youkai to answer. "Oh yes, he once vowed to kill them, but then he noticed how utterly dead they already were. You saw that, too, and you ran away. It's quite ironic that you two should meet in the one place where youkai aren't meant to be. Three years is a long time to not notice you have a blood relative standing so close to you, but never actually telling yo—"

"There's no point in continuing this, Kikyo," Yukina interrupted, taking a quick glance at the body of Shiori before facing the ground. "Unlike Hatanaka-san, I already know what the big conspiracy is, and I have known since the Dark Tournament finals. I'm almost ashamed that I didn't see it sooner, but I know what you're trying to use to break me.

"When I saw him surrounded by black flames when he was facing Bui, generating so much power, releasing that dragon and being attacked by it as well, standing even though he had been pummeled by his much bigger opponent, and coming out on top in the end…I know who my brother is, and I love him. So kill me, you couldn't break Shiori-san, and you won't break me."

Kikyo raised an eyebrow and an instant later an arrow protruded from Yukina's chest.

"…No…" The kuromiko cursed under her breath and turned to see that Hiei was standing on the opposite side of the clearing. His eyes were wide as he looked upon his sister's dying body.

"Ani…ki…" Yukina managed, a dark blue hiruiseki falling to the ground, standing out against the pile of white underneath her. Her body finally went limp.

Hiei remained unmoving, and none of the Reikai Tantei or Kagome dared to touch him. A tremor worked its way throughout his body, his eyes tensed and narrowed at the image of his deceased sister. Anyone who could sense energy felt the intense rise in his power until it could no longer be considered an A class anymore. After a small eternity passed, Hiei reached up and pulled off the bandana on his Jagan, the iris had changed into a darker violet. His cloak flew into the air, soon followed by the wards used on the Dragon. The sword at his hip was instantly in his hands, just as Kikyo pulled out the Mirror of the Void.

Behind him, Kagome nudged Yusuke in the ribs to gain his attention. It wasn't what they had planned, but Kikyo was now distracted. Yusuke nodded slowly, gesturing to Kuwabara and Kurama to go get the girls and continue with the plan. Kuwabara had to work hard to tear his eyes away from Yukina just as Kurama lowered his head from his mother. The three moved away with Kirara, but Kagome decided to stay where she was, not sure she liked the feeling that told her they were surrounded. Taking out the Tessaiga, she pushed that thought to the backburner in favor of watching the battle before her unfold. No matter how much she tried to reassure herself that it would be okay in the end, she couldn't stop the feeling of foreboding pressing against her heart.

Hiei lost sight of his surroundings, his eyes intent on the kuromiko and the rest of his body intent on decimating her. Nothing mattered right now but seeing this bitch fall to him, beg him for mercy and then killing her anyway. No…_nothing_ else mattered.

Kagome frowned at the look on Hiei's face, like he was on a kamikaze mission, fighting only for his vengeance. He vanished right before both mikos' eyes, but Kagome, who had excellent eyes for catching things about speed followed as he landed behind Kikyo. She wondered why he didn't attack her immediately, but instead held the sword ready to stab until Kikyo turned around. Caught off balance by the quick change in positions, the kuromiko blocked with the mirror as his sword plunged in, the blade emerging as soon as contact was made and impaled Hiei in the sternum. Kikyo, still not fully balanced, smirked, but it faltered when, even as blood started slipping from his lips, Hiei copied it with more malice and accomplishment than should be present. "Don't see it yet, onna? I believe the ningen term used for chess is 'check'," the Jaganshi ground out.

Confusion gave way to realization for both mikos as Hiei removed his right arm from the grip of the sword. Kagome gasped. _'He locked the mirror out of the battle with his katana and his body. Kikyo can't use it to defend herself!'_

Kikyo seemed to have come to the same conclusion. Her eyes widened as he raised the arm with the powerful Dragon just waiting to be released. "And this," Hiei grated out, lifting his arm a little higher, "is the check mate. _Jaou Ensatsu Kokuryuuha!_"

Kagome watched mystified as dark clouds thundered in the night sky, blocking the moon and stars from view. A screeching roar broke through the clearing, and everyone stopped what they were doing to watch as a great black dragon of fire formed in the air, its red eyes hungry for destruction. It swooped down to capture anything, destroying many trees, which hit people before they could move, and finally targeting Kikyo. She tried to move the Mirror but it wouldn't budge, so she resulted in forming a barrier to try and protect herself, but the Dragon of the Darkness Flame was not to be daunted. It pursued her relentlessly, managing to break in through weak points in the barrier, pushing her into a cluster of trees. Her scream echoed loudly, and the Dragon instead moved on to find another target. Its red eyes landed on Kagome.

It sped over to her but stopped when it got a good look at her face. Instead, it pulled its body up into the sky and gave another roar before it was absorbed back into Hiei's body. He pulled the sword out of his body and away from the mirror, falling to his knees. His blood surrounded him in a great puddle, but he smirked. "I'll see you in Hell, evil priestess," he whispered. Kagome watched as a dark blue gem fell from his eye, matching the one Yukina cried perfectly. Her own eyes widening, Kagome ran forward. Kneeling beside him and dropping Tessaiga, she lifted his face in her hands before her own tears clouded her vision.

_He…he's dead…_ Carefully laying him down, she reached for the Kiseki-Jihi, but paused centimeters from touching it. _Will this sword revive someone...who essentially killed himself?_

Panting, she looked around the clearing. The Dragon desecrated it, and the debris from it managed to knock everyone else unconscious. They were thrown every which way; Keiko was even tossed into a tree. Furiously, Kagome punched the ground, leaving a notable crater. "It wasn't supposed to be like this, dammit! It shouldn't have been like this!"

"But since when has it ever been as it should be, reincarnate?" Kagome's head snapped up to see Kikyo emerging from the ashes of the surrounding trees, scorch marks here and there on her clothes and her body, like someone threw a porcelain doll into a fire but pulled it out not too long after.

She looked like she had walked through the flames of Hell.

Kagome watched, still knelt beside Hiei, as the Mirror of the Void floated into Kikyo's hand, and that the kuromiko was backing away from her. "Tell me," Kikyo said, "why do you spill tears for a youkai that you have never met before today, _Jun-Namida_."

A hand immediately lifted to her face, and with a horrified gasp Kagome finally realized that the glamour she held on the markings on her face had disappeared sometime during the Dragon's attack. No wonder it stopped before attacking her.

"This shall be a great battle," Kikyo continued, a wild tone increasing as she spoke. "Imagine: dead versus living; incarnate versus reincarnate; taint and hatred versus purity and love; the Harvester of Souls versus _the_ Jun-Namida no Miko! Finally, we can see who the better is! We can see who deserves our soul more! It will all be discovered _now!_"

Kikyo raised the mirror up into the sky, an ecstatically sadistic smile on her face. A pulse was released from the mirror and suddenly everywhere Kagome turned, demons were in her view. The feeling of being surrounded pestered Kagome once more. Her eyes snapped back to Kikyo, who lowered the mirror, that insane and wild smile distorting her face and reaching into the dark brown eyes. "But first, you have to find me," she laughed, vanishing and leaving hundreds of demons in her wake.

Kagome stood, taking the Tessaiga with her. She couldn't sense Kikyo in all of this youki, and the pull on her soul was impossible to discern and follow. Thinking quickly, she pulled the wind underneath her friends, including the women she didn't know, and moved them a safe distance away. With that liability gone, all she could do was grip InuYasha's birthright and wait for the demons to make the first move.

'_InuYasha…give me your strength…'_

§§§§§§

**Translations:**

**Aniki-Older Brother**

**Jaou Ensatsu Kokuryuuha-literally "King of Evil's (Jaou) Black Dragon Wave"; more commonly know as "Dragon of the Darkness Flame"**

**A/N: Did anyone else think '…oh, _burn_…' when Kagome was talking to Kikyo in the beginning of the chapter? **

**_IMPORTANT!!!:_ I'm holding a vote. Do you guys want longer chapters (like I've been doing) and wait more time for an update, or do you want shorter chapters (only 2,000 words or so) and shorter time between updates? I really want to know.**

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!**


	8. Purify

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! (More at the end of chapter)**

**Disclaimer: Seriously, the only thing I own in this story are the ideas and concepts not shown in the series. I don't own the characters, but I do own that sexy red electric guitar-shaped paperclip.**

//The Phoenix\\

§Purify§

"Fear less, hope more;  
Whine less, breathe more;  
Talk less, say more;  
Hate less, love more;  
And all good things are yours."

--Swedish Proverb

The youkai hadn't started an attack yet, like they were waiting on her to do something so they could. Kagome didn't keep her eyes on one place for too long, afraid that if she did it would give a demon a free shot. Sometimes her gaze would lie on Tessaiga, which still hadn't been transformed into the great fang yet. She could feel its desire, but she waited until, at last, she could think of nothing better to do and watched as the sword became the lethal weapon that made it legendary.

As though a floodgate was opened, the youkai charged at her, shrieking battle cries and raising their weapons. Kagome swung Tessaiga, defending herself as she belatedly realized that she wasn't exactly sure how to conjure the Wind Scar. If she had the time to do so in between killing off demons, she would have hit herself in the head. How could she be so foolish as to not think of that?

_Oh, InuYasha, what I wouldn't give for you to be here to talk me through this…_ she thought as she expertly decapitated three demons. At least the sword wasn't as heavy as it looked. She lifted one hand from the grip to send out a beam of holy energy, disintegrating about twenty of the enemy before replacing her hand. _I could really use your help right now. I won't let the others down. I have to protect them, even if I really do have to die for it._

Suddenly, time seemed to stand still. Slowly, a demonic breeze flitted by and wrapped itself around the sword. A feeling Kagome could never forget filled her very being, tying her to the Tessaiga. For the first time in a while, Kagome felt shielded and cherished; she felt _safe_, and she wanted nothing more than to protect. She could have sworn that something was beside her, and for some reason she wanted to cry, but whether it be for joy or sorrow—maybe even a combination of them—she didn't know, and she didn't care. Her arms moved Tessaiga up, and when time returned to her she arced it down with the cry of, "_Kaze no Kizu!_" Maybe it was her imagination, but she could have sworn she heard InuYasha's voice ring out along with hers.

The earth in front of her cleaved as five great claws of wind tore apart at least one hundred demons with a roaring ease. She watched the progress in shock, nostalgia playing the scenes where InuYasha had wrought the same results. Invisible arms wrapped around her waist from behind and unseen lips pressed against her cheek, but real warmth lingered where the touches had been. _"Feh, told you it was easy,"_ murmured through the air and she felt that she was alone again, but the feeling that brought forth the Wind Scar stayed within her like a present given to her by a friend. Finally, tears fell down her face in a bittersweet heartache.

"Inu…InuYasha?"

§

Kikyo watched with awed hatred as the Kaze no Kizu ripped through about one-tenth of the demons she sent to attack her reincarnate. A sickening wave of nostalgia swept over her, forcing her to recall the many times she had seen her InuYasha do the same in the defense of that _girl_, the sloppy second. Embittered, Kikyo set her glare on the one who conquered her in InuYasha's heart. How dare that stupid girl…

Kagome continued to use the Wind Scar on her opponents, even though it didn't seem as necessary as a few moments before. She would just turn a step to the side and let loose the technique, even if there were only ten demons in the path of destruction. _'What is that girl thinking?'_ Kikyo asked herself.

A stray attack was heading right for her, but it was coming at her too quickly to jump out of the way. Instinctively she brought the Mirror of the Void forth and reflected the Wind Scar back to a smirking Kagome as the younger miko watched the yellow energy come back, hitting her in the chest. Kikyo watched with satisfaction as Kagome's body impacted heavily into the ground, but something was nagging her, biting away at the back of her mind in an attempt to get her attention. Finally, she realized something as she looked at the prone body of her reincarnation.

_Why is she smirking?_

Suddenly, any of the remaining demons glowed and started to dissolve into nothing. Panic rising inside of her like bile, Kikyo quickly rushed her gaze to Kagome, only to see that the girl was no longer where she had been laying. She was about to make a step forward to investigate when cold steel was pressed against her neck. Whipping around, she was met with the end of Kagome's blade and livid blue-gray glare.

§

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I have urgent news!"

When Sesshoumaru landed, Jaken had immediately ran and bowed to him. "Speak, Jaken, or I leave you on this side of the barrier," the lord threatened. The imp jumped before bowing even lower.

"Forgive me, my lord. There has been a brief but drastic rise in youki in the Ningenkai; I believe that it was Lady Mukuro's second-in-command, but it diminished too quickly to bode well. Also, if I'm correct, the Kaze no Kizu has been implemented numerous times. I believe the battle between the two mikos has officially begun," Jaken reported. He timidly looked up into his lord's eyes, quickly diverting them at the unfathomable rage seen there.

"Then we're late," Sesshoumaru said at last. "Let's get moving."

Mukuro followed silently behind him.

§

"It's going to end now, Kikyo. No more pain, no more hatred, we'll both find what we want," Kagome said calmly despite her eyes. Her chest pained her greatly, but she didn't let it bother her. More important things were happening.

"I won't let go so easily," Kikyo said with empty conviction. She knew that she was in no position to make such declarations, and so did Kagome.

It was an ingenious plan with only one drawback. By using the Wind Scar, Kagome pinpointed Kikyo's location when the attack rebounded on her. She had never been so relieved to be attacked before then.

"You'll never find what you want if you don't let go, Kikyo," she whispered. "I don't hate you, despite the feelings you have for me. It pains me to see you like this. You deserve more than this pretense of an existence. InuYasha knew it, too, deep down in his heart, but it was his heart that wouldn't let him free you. But now," Kagome lifted the transformed fang, "Look at the Tessaiga! Not even InuYasha supports you!" she shouted.

Kagome resheathed the Tessaiga; she wouldn't make InuYasha's sword destroy the woman that had made him so torn. Instead, the miko drew Shinkirou. Kikyo's eyes flickered nervously to the new weapon, no doubt wishing to instead face of with the former katana. She was right to be nervous. The Shinkirou wouldn't falter if hit with the kuromiko's arrow the way Tessaiga would. Kagome made her move.

§

Kikyo was amazed at how fluid her reincarnate was attacking. The sword slashed forward with a grace that made everything surreal, as though this were a dance rather than a battle and the weapon was instead a flute giving the dancers a tempo with which to pace themselves. It wasn't until the sound of cracking reached her ears that she came back to earth.

She had been doing rather well dodging the attacks, but as she looked down at her chest and noticed the large gash on her clay body Kikyo knew that she was at a serious disadvantage. She was best at long distance fighting, but she needed to get away from Kagome for that to happen. Kikyo formed an orb of energy and blasted Kagome's wounded chest to the other side of the battlefield and into a tree.

Kikyo reached behind her for her bow and an arrow. The arrow flew at her reincarnate before being swiftly cut in two. Kagome was slowly making it back to her feet as Kikyo shot three more arrows, but they met the same fate as the first. Fed up, Kikyo concentrated on another orb of energy as Kagome was doing the same. The blasts impacted midway and sent them both flailing to their feet.

Gripping her head, Kikyo sat up and looked to see that Kagome was staring at her, leaning against a tree. Glaring again, Kikyo released a beam of energy from her hand. Once more, Kagome matched the attack perfectly. The kuromiko stood as her reincarnate did, and they both charged at each other.

Throwing her entire logic of distance into the fire, Kikyo tried landing hits with her fists and feet. None of her punches were making crucial hits, and all of her kicks were met with resistance. "Have you realized it yet, Kikyo?" Kagome asked. "It's pointless. I can match everything you throw at me." The heel of Kagome's palm swiftly collided with the underside of Kikyo's chin, forcing the woman to lose balance. A low kick to the back of her ankles swept her onto her back where her head thumped against the ground. Kagome had the Shinkirou in her hand as she stood over the dark miko. "I can also overpower you in a way you will never be able to do to me," she added, panting heavily. Her skin was starting to turn chalk-white, and her eyes were forming mauve circles beneath them as tears were building within them.

"You've been bleeding this whole time, incarnate," Kikyo murmured. "You long to cry. Is your pain that great?" She watched in fascination as one tear made its path down the other woman's cheek, coinciding with one of the tear markings before continuing and falling to the ground.

"Yes, Kikyo, I'm in pain right now; this struggle of killing you is tearing me apart," Kagome answered, closing her eyes to clear them of the salty liquid blurring her vision. "I don't want you to die with such bitterness in your heart."

Kikyo turned her head away from the new tears, confused by the words spoken to her. Was the girl truly being sincere? Was the cause of those tears really…

"I'm already dead," the kuromiko whispered, facing the girl once more. There was something in the way those eyes were looking at her, telling her that all of her words have been truthful. The look stirred something within her; it mirrored the ocher gaze InuYasha used to give her. Kikyo had the sudden urge to cry as well. "Why…do you cry for me, Kagome?"

The young miko's head snapped up. "You…used my name."

"Answer my question," Kikyo said, sitting up. Kagome let her.

"It hurts me to see how jaded the world has become to you, Kikyo. I know it will do no good, but I find myself asking a lot of 'If' questions concerning you. If you hadn't been entrusted with the Shikon, would you have fallen in love with InuYasha? Would you have lived longer? Would you have died too young anyway? If I were in your position, would my outlook be the same?"

Kikyo watched as Kagome knelt down next to her and pulled her into an embrace. It amazed her that after so long of feeling nothing she could feel the warmth of Kagome's body, the heat of Kagome's tears. "I think I would," Kagome continued, somehow managing to find comfort and be comforting at the same time.

Kikyo looked down at the young woman in a new light. For the first time she saw Kagome as Kagome, and not her reincarnation, not as the one who trumped her in InuYasha's heart, not the one who she attached a deep-seated acrimony. Seeing her this way…no wonder InuYasha cared so deeply for her. Sighing in a long-since-felt contentment, Kikyo weaved a hand through the raven tresses of the young woman clinging to her. "That well may be. I do not think you would."

Kagome pulled away enough to look into her eyes. "Kikyo…"

"If you had been in my position from the start, you would never have fallen for Naraku's deception. Your love for InuYasha would have been stronger, just as his would have been for you. You would never have died in bitterness. You would never have been reborn in spite." Kikyo gazed gently at Kagome, bringing the younger miko to stand with her. "I want the peace I've been denied for five hundred years. I think I'm ready to take it…as soon as you revive to two women I killed today."

§

When Shiori opened her eyes immediate warmth spread through her body. The first thing she saw was a very pale, very bloody, yet very beautiful young woman kneeling next to her with a gentle smile on her ashen lips and reflecting in the soft warmth of her blue-gray eyes. Bewildered, she looked around at the obvious chaos of the scene until her eyes fell on the one who she could have sworn killed her. The kuromiko appeared different somehow, almost kinder, leaving her even more confused. A cold hand rested on her shoulder, drawing her eyes back to the pale young woman. "Don't worry; you have nothing to fear now." For some reason, even though the kuromiko was still moving, Shiori believed her.

She stayed leaning against the tree as the young woman continued on to the sea foam-green haired girl who was alive the last time Shiori could remember, but was now pinned to the tree by an arrow. She watched as the young woman wrapped her small hand around the shaft of the arrow, saw it fill with a light violet glow, and sat in fascination as the weapon disintegrated before her eyes. The young woman then carefully pulled the unconscious one from the tree, the bindings disappearing much like the arrow, and laid her on the ground. Shiori's confusion switched to shock as the young woman drew a sword with a blade that appeared to be made of violet flames and sliced it right through the prone body. The mother couldn't even scream. _What the…_

The young woman then sheathed the sword and knelt beside the body, and they all watched as color began returning to the pallid cheeks. Shiori watched, stunned, as the girl opened her crimson eyes once more, looking up at the young woman much like she did. The young woman smiled again, offering reassurance without saying a word, and gestured for Shiori to come over. As soon as the two were sitting next too each other, the young woman faced Kikyo. "Should I revive Hiei now? I'm sure he'd find satisfaction in your death."

Beside Shiori, Yukina gasped as her eyes found Hiei's lifeless body and the blood that pooled around him. The mother circled an arm on the girl's shoulder in an effort to console while trying to understand the conversation. Were the two women allies or enemies?

"I don't think it wise to revive him just yet. If he can even move, I am most positive he'll rip my head off," Kikyo answered, but not in the tones that Shiori was used to hearing. She sounded more benevolent. What happened to the woman who killed her?

"Are you ready now, Kikyo?" the young woman asked.

§

"Yes, I want my peace," she answered. Across from her Kagome lifted her bow and the single arrow the young miko had brought with her for this specific purpose. It took on a heavenly amethyst glow before it rushed at her, hitting her where her heart would be. She was surprised to feel no pain, but instead a great cleansing as all of the sins she had committed, the corruption that stained her. "Thank you, Kagome." _For purifying me._

Kikyo was peaceful at last.

§

The souls inhabiting Kikyo's body escaped into the air as the clay body decomposed into a small pile of ashes. A ghostly white orb about the size of a normal human soul shot out and hit Kagome in the chest, causing her to fall back into the two women sitting behind her.

Kagome couldn't help the moan of joviality as her soul completed itself. She didn't realized how much pain she had been in until she felt the difference again. If only her chest would stop hurting…

Four benevolent energies made their way into her radar, and maybe if she wasn't so tired she'd put a little more effort in trying to see if she could recognize them, but with her soul combining again and her blood loss…she wondered briefly if she would die again. Twice in one day had to be the worst track record ever.

But Hiei…she couldn't just leave Hiei like that…

Opening her eyes—when had they closed?—, she saw that the two strangers she revived were talking, but for the life of her she couldn't hear a word. The looks on their faces screamed concern. Were their voices? In any case, she was wasting precious consciousness trying to read blurry lips, and at this moment it was unacceptable. She had to at least try and save Hiei.

She ignored the protesting faces as well as the words she couldn't hear and forced herself to stand. Her blurry world stayed upright for about four seconds before seesawing and smacking her in the face with the ground. How rude…

Frowning, she pushed herself up on all fours, the most she thought she could handle, and painstakingly forced herself to crawl over to Hiei. She reached a hand out to his body; he was slightly warm, but that could just be because she was so cold. Kagome smiled wryly. He always felt warmer than her. She admired his heat but knew that if she did nothing than she couldn't continue to do so. Besides, she wanted to admire him alive, too.

Her body screamed at her as she drew the Kiseki-Jihi, but she ignored it like she ignored the two women who had apparently followed her over to the dead man, watching with apprehension and wonder. Blinking heavily, she brought the sword up and swept it down…completely missing Hiei by a mile. "Oh, dammit," she cursed before drunkenly lifting the sword again, this time managing to get him in the chest.

Kagome simply let the sword go as she felt life return to the man she knelt beside. The wounds weren't healing, probably the consequence of self-infliction, but he was alive, and that was good. She smiled as he opened those crimson eyes of his, looking bewildered as she looked amused. His gaze wondered over to the two now-living women before returning to her, searching for an answer.

"I told you I would fix everything, Hiei. It couldn't hurt to have just a little faith in me," she whispered. He just continued to look at her. "Do I look like hell that much?"

She passed out on top of Hiei's reheated body before getting an answer. That was okay though, because Hiei passed out before giving it.

§

The carnage was evident fifty meters away from the actual site of the battle. Great gauges cleaved into the earth: the Kaze no Kizu, without a doubt. They had been running in the direction the attack seemed to originate from, but Sesshoumaru stopped suddenly and brought the entire group to a standstill as well. He lifted his nose slightly higher in the air and sniffed.

"What is it, Sesshoumaru?" Mukuro asked, moving to stand beside him.

"Kagome has been bleeding for a long time. The air reeks of human blood, youkai as well." Sesshoumaru paused. "And death. It's rather repulsive."

"Let's hurry, then," Mukuro said before running again. Sesshoumaru caught up to her and took the lead with Jaken riding Ah-Un taking up the rear.

The carnage grew more frantic as the scent of blood increased. At last they reached the clearing.

Blood was lying in puddles and trails on the decimated earth. Right in the center, Kagome had half of her body lying on Hiei as a demon, Yukina if the eyes were anything to go by, and presumably Kurama's human mother, knelt beside them. The two looked up in fear as the powerful strangers walked over to them.

"Who are you?" Yukina asked, standing in front of the others defensively, knowing if they wanted to harm her it would be only too easy. "If you're going to hurt us, you might as well just leave." Her voice was unsteady with fear.

"Insolent wench!" Jaken shouted from his perch on Ah-Un. "Silence that impudent tongue and show Lord Sesshoumaru and Lady Mukuro the proper respect before they slice you in half!"

"L-Lord S-Seshou-shoumaru…? Lady Mu-Mukuro…?" Yukina stuttered, falling to her knees in shock and fear.

Mukuro glared at the imp in distain. "We have no interest in slicing anyone in half, you twit," she informed before turning back to Yukina. "However, we do have interest in Hiei and Kagome. Please move aside, Yukina."

The Koorime was motionless until reality hit her and she scrambled away, bowing in apology. Even so, she couldn't help but gawk a little as two of the most powerful youkai in all of Makai knelt beside her brother and the woman who saved her life. This definitely constitutes as one of the weirdest days of her life; she could hardly fathom what Shiori was feeling right now.

On one knee, Sesshoumaru carefully turned Kagome onto her back, almost flinching at how unhealthily pale she was. Hiei had more color, but not much. Her wounds though…they looked like… "She was attacked by the Kaze no Kizu."

Mukuro quickly looked up from her inspection of Hiei. "She wields the sword now, and it wouldn't hurt a human."

Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement. "But Kikyo has been using Kanna's mirror. I've heard that it can even reflect the Wind Scar." They both observed the battlefield more intently. A small circle remained completely undamaged and from it sprung an array of marks classic to the Kaze no Kizu. Only one set doubled back, and the way the foliage was arranged suggested the return happened from behind some thick bushes.

"She did it on purpose," Mukuro concluded. "She knew Kikyo had to give up her location if she would save herself."

"She's shrewd," Sesshoumaru commented before lifting her in his arm. Mukuro easily lifted Hiei, nodding to signal she was ready. "Let's go."

"Wait!" The two lords turned to see the human looking at them desperately. "What about my son?"

Sesshoumaru and Mukuro glanced at each other, wondering how they didn't notice the absence of the clever fox or the loudest lord earlier. Mukuro silently closed her eyes, staying still for a moment before turning to her friend. "They are within a twenty meter radius of Higurashi Shrine."

"Jaken," Sesshoumaru said sharply. The one word sent the imp to his knees. "You will carry them to Kagome's home. Use Ah-Un."

Jaken's face fell.

§

When Hiei managed to open his eyes again and saw them over his face, at first he thought perhaps there was a mirror on the ceiling, leading him to wonder if someone thought it would be funny to leave him in a cheesy hotel, and the hooker was in the bathroom. Thankfully with a few more blinks and some squinting the image morphed into Yukina's worried, yet relieved, face. He had never been so happy to see his sister.

"Aniki?"

He let out a garbled groan that was supposed to resemble Yukina's name.

"Don't try to talk too much, Hiei." Yukina turned to face the door. "Mukuro-sama, he's awake!"

Hiei's eyes bulged slightly. Did she just say Mukuro, or had whatever screwed with his voice do the same to his ears?

Sure enough, Mukuro walked into the room with a tall demon following behind her. Hiei forced himself to sit up; at least his body would cooperate with him. The strange demon faced him for a few seconds, as though sizing him up, before turning to the other side of the room. His right hand was holding a washrag in a bowl of water. He sat on the edge of a bed Hiei hadn't realized was there and carefully rung the cloth, laying it tenderly on the face of…was that really Kagome? She looked so pale…

"Hiei?" Mukuro asked. This time, when he opened his mouth, the words must have been articulate enough to make sense.

"Where are we, Mukuro?"

"Higurashi Shrine, specifically in Kagome's room. Yukina," the ice maiden's head jumped up to face the woman, "please be so kind as to check on your friend, Kuwabara. Jaken, while not completely incompetent, has a rather strong dislike for all but one human, and while Kuwabara means a lot to Kagome, Jaken will probably just have him tossed in the general direction of the bed and take his leave."

Yukina's eyes widened in surprise before she bowed. "Of course, Mukuro-sama." She turned to the other demon and bowed again. "Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, promptly rushing from the room.

Hiei turned to look at the other demon, just now noticing that the youkai's left sleeve was rather limp. So _this_ was the Mighty Lord Sesshoumaru? No wonder Mukuro seemed relaxed. Why was he here, though, taking care of Kagome, a miko?

"I don't know if you've realized this yet, Hiei, but Kagome is a rather special person," Mukuro said, her blue eye staring at him intently. Hiei carefully moved himself to lean against the wall his futon was nearest. Remaining silent, he waited for Mukuro to continue. The woman turned away, and he followed her gaze to the miko. "She is an excellent storyteller. Her words are always carefully woven, leading one to interpret what she means."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "She's a liar?" He was confused when Mukuro gave a small smile.

"Are you?" she asked rhetorically. "Kagome is a horrible liar, and she knows it. Other people are willing to lie for her, especially if you hear them call her with an honorific, like Myouga. In fact, it's rather safe to say that the only one you can expect the total truth from would be Kagome herself," Mukuro informed before turning to the silent lord. "It might be best if we leave them to recuperate, Sesshoumaru."

Sesshoumaru stood and finally tore his eyes from Kagome's face. He gave a slight nod and headed for the door. "We should probably make sure Jaken didn't decide to not see one of the humans," he announced in a stoic voice before leaving the room.

Mukuro stood and smoothed out her pants. She laid a hand on the light switch by the threshold, but paused and whispered, "Oh, and Hiei?"

"Hn?"

The powerful woman turned her head just enough for Hiei to see the grin on her lips. "In case you happen to notice before we do, please tell us if something happens to Kagome-sama."

The lights blacked out and the door closed on Hiei's startled face.

§§§§§

**A/N: "That well may be. I do not think you would," is actually an alteration of the last line of Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Sonnet 30," "That well may be. I do not think I would." Not much different, but it sounded like something Kikyo would say. This mentioned, I would like to add to the disclaimer that I do not own Edna St. Vincent Millay or any of her work.**

**I know it's shorter even though I took a long time, but I was at the part where Hiei woke up when I got news that a good friend of the family passed away, so if the ending seems a little lack-luster, I apologize. I also wanted to get this out before much more time has gone by. With that said, I sincerely hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**(By the way, I don't know if you got it from this chapter, but I actually like Kikyo as a character. If I had to choose, I would rather Kagome be with InuYasha, but I still like Kikyo.)**

**Happy Valentine's Day! (Hey, has anyone heard from Ryukotsusei? I kind of miss her reviews…)**


	9. Move Along Part I

**A/N: I figured you would really like it if you got a chapter. This was supposed to be longer, but then it would be too long, so it's broken into parts (the next one comes whenever I finish it).**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed (though I did expect more of a reaction to the whole "Kikyo died" thing...I'll shut up now.)**

//The Phoenix\\

§Move Along (Part 1)§

"Speak to me, when all you got to keep is strong  
Move along, move along like I know you do"

--The All-American Rejects, 'Move Along'

For a while he just sat there, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness in the bedroom. The only illumination came from the rays of the full moon seeping from the window, casting a silver glow over the carpet and some of the bed, consequently revealing the miko resting between its sheets. The navy highlights had been embossed more boldly into the inky waves of hair, the bangs falling over the closed, delicate eyelids hiding two beautiful lakes of blue-gray from the moonlight. Faint color was shown returning to her cheeks, but it was still a far cry from when he had seen her yesterday.

The digital clock on the desk told Hiei that it was twenty-eight past three in the morning. The room smelled of Kagome, soothing and distracting him with the curious scent of fallen rain and wild flowers, rebirth and passion. It was befitting; Hiei decided that he liked it.

From his vantage point in the adjacent corner from the bed, his eyes were able to make out vague details of small mementoes from Kagome's past about the room, but nothing too conclusive. There was a definite outline of a stuffed bear toy on one of the shelves, and, unbidden, an image of a child Kagome came to his mind, smiling, holding out the bear to him as though it were an offering of peace and friendship, both of which were very foreign to him.

_Why did Mukuro call Kagome 'Kagome-sama'?_ he asked himself, redirecting his gaze once again to the owner of the room and the occupier of his thoughts. _Why would Mukuro be willing to lie for a human? She's never shown much compassion for ningens before._

A small groan from Kagome made him jump slightly. His gaze immediately shot to Kagome's eyes, watching intently as they wavered and slowly opened.

"…and that's pretty much the three worlds in a nutshell," Botan concluded in a mixture of happiness and solemnity, not that much of a feat for the ferry girl.

"I see," Shiori whispered, running a hand through the red locks of her son's hair absently. "So Shuuichi is an…avatar?"

"Yup!" Botan set her gaze to Kurama's relaxed face. A small cut on his cheek was already healing on its own, but she wondered how exactly he got it. According to Shiori, Kurama had been moved before the core of whatever battle it was that took place happened. In fact, only a dead Hiei and a nearly dead Kagome—whoever that was—were actually on the battlefield when Shiori was awoken, with the exception of Kikyo, the Harvester of Souls.

Shiori sighed. They were in Kagome's grandfather's room, apparently, and Kurama was resting on the bed. When that imp demon had found him, he had minor injuries consistent with being thrown around—all of them had. "I wish I understood more about what happened today," the mother said.

"I do, too," Botan murmured in agreement. "It's not everyday someone comes around and nearly kills me, much less make it so my wounds won't heal. I wonder how I woke up completely fine."

Shiori looked up from her son's face. "Probably Kagome, since she's a miko, too, I think. If she can give life by swinging a sword, she could probably heal you," she suggested.

Botan shook her head at the odd humor she felt. "A miko, a relatively _powerful_ miko, who can revive the dead, is friends with _two_ of the Makai rulers—the two most secretive at that. How in the worlds did the Reikai miss this?"

A male voice chuckled groggily. "The Reikai tends to miss a lot of things, Botan." The two women immediately turned to face Kurama's closed eyes and tired smile. They observed as reality finally settled in and he seemed to have just realized whose name he had said. Emerald eyes opened quickly, gasping at the faces of the two women he cared for the most, both perfectly alive and well. "Botan? Mother? But…"

Shiori quickly pulled her son into a hug, running her hands through his red hair. "I know about…Youko Kurama." She felt him immediately tense. In response, she hugged him tighter. "I want you to know that the only thing this changes is that…is that I know more about you. You're still my son, and I love you just the same."

Kurama noticeably relaxed. "I thought you were dead. How…? Did Koenma…?"

"The Reikai hasn't been able to re-establish communications yet," Botan interjected quietly. The mother and son pulled apart.

"How long has it been since I've fallen unconscious?"

"Only a few hours. Knowing Reikai, it'll probably be around midday tomorrow before Koenma can contact us again," the ferry girl answered.

Kurama looked to his mother, then back at Botan, uncharacteristically confused. "But then…how is my mother alive?"

"That friend of yours," Shiori said softly, "Kagome did it. I saw her disintegrate the arrow that was imbedded in Yukina, then take out this sword and swing it down. I was horrified for a moment, but then I saw that Yukina wasn't injured, and she actually woke up. After Kagome killed the kuromiko, she crawled over to Hiei and swung the sword again before passing out."

Kurama immediately tried to jump out of bed. "Hiei's alive? He's okay?" With the combined efforts of Shiori and Botan, he was pushed back into the bed.

"He's alive, but he still has his wounds. He's resting right now. That's all Mukuro-sama would tell us," Botan said, blushing slightly and letting go of him as soon as she realized her hands were against his chest.

"Mukuro's here?"

"And Sesshoumaru-sama, if you'll believe me," the ferry girl added, trying to hide her amusement at the completely floored expression Kurama was giving him. "Yeah, that's what I thought, too. They aren't being very talkative, so I wouldn't bother asking questions. Just do what all the other people who are awake are doing and accept it." Botan gave Kurama a hug, decidedly ecstatic when he returned it. She only stayed for a moment longer before heading to the door. "Why don't the two of you get some rest? I'm going to go see if anyone else woke up since the last time I checked."

Yusuke smiled in relief, his arms wrapped around Keiko's sleeping body. He shifted against the headboard, wincing as he soon discovered he had been sitting on his too-long hair. Pulling it out from beneath him, he carefully moved more of the blanket around them.

He had awoken to Keiko crying over his chest, his mother trying to offer the girl comfort. As soon as Atsuko saw that Yusuke would be able to take things over, she left the room to look for some food and aspirin, leaving Yusuke to deal with a hysterical Keiko.

Now that everything was settled and Keiko was resting easy, he was torn between wanting to stay and wanting to get information. Who was still alive? Who was still unconscious? What about…was Hiei even alive? And Kagome, what about Kagome?

The door opened and Botan's head stuck in. "Good, you're awake."

Yusuke smirked. "Hey, Botan, nice to see you up and about. I take it you feel better."

Botan smiled and walked into the room, closing the door behind her. "Much," she whispered as she took a seat on the corner of the bed. "What about you?"

"Ah, I'm fine. Keiko had one hell of a cry, though. Can't really _blame _her for it," Yusuke said.

The ferry girl nodded. "I know what you mean. It's been one heck of a day, huh? It's hard to believe it all happened in less than twenty hours. And if I feel blindsided I can only imagine how Hatanaka-san feels—she actually died!"

The detective looked instantly confused. "Wha?"

"Oh, that's right! You don't know," Botan whispered with something akin to enlightenment on her face. "Hatanaka-san is alive, and so is Yukina. That girl—Kagome, right?—did something with a sword and was able to revive them. Hiei, too, but he still has his injuries."

Relief, sweet, tasty, thank-the-gods-for-it relief was brought into his body and the tension was exhaled in a long sigh. "That's good. No deaths?"

"Not on our side, in the least," Botan smiled. "Though, the opposition has been thoroughly decimated, according to Hatanaka-san."

"By who?"

"By the other miko, apparently."

"Kagome?!" Yusuke nearly screamed. His short-lived thank-the-gods-for-it relief was unfairly traded with what-the-fuck astonishment.

"So that _is_ her name," the ferry girl mused. "I had been worried I got it wrong. Hate to have to mispronounce the name of the person who saved the day."

"Botan, focus!" He wanted answers, dammit, and he wanted them now! "Kagome?"

"Yup. Hatanaka-san said that when she woke up it looked as though something cleaved into the ground in all different directions. The only ones standing there were Kagome and the kuromiko…until Kagome shot an arrow and purified her, that is. Poor girl. Hatanaka-san said that she looked to be dead herself, with how pale she was and all the blood."

"Blood?!"

The door opened again. "Yes, dimwit, she said blood. Stop asking one word questions!" Genkai said as she walked into the room and sat on the futon Keiko had occupied earlier. "I think you'll both be satisfied to know that Kuwabara and Shizuru are both awake; Yukina's with them. Yukina said that Hiei woke up a short while ago and is to be left completely alone, especially since Kagome's in that room and she _hasn't_ woken up yet. Don't really expect her to soon, either. That girl's lost a lot of blood."

"Blood?!" A pillow quickly met Yusuke's face.

"What are you, a parrot? And what did I say about one word questions!"

"Kagome's my friend, and I want to know what the fuck happened to her!" Yusuke exclaimed before immediately looking down to Keiko. Exhaustion kept her utterly asleep. The detective looked to Genkai again, a sort of desperation in his eyes. "Kagome is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. She already died once today because we couldn't do anything to stop it; I need to know if she's gonna make it this time."

Genkai sighed, her hard features softening in tell-tale signs of giving in. "The fact of the matter is that no one really knows what happened from the time Hiei's dragon threw us into the trees and knocked us out to the time Kagome somehow managed to revive Shiori and Yukina with a sword, of all things. The only one who could shed some light on what happened would be Kagome, but I talked to Yukina and she said that Kagome's wounds were very odd, like a great clawed hand shredded the front of her body. Mukuro—yes, dimwit, Mukuro's here, with none other than Sesshoumaru, too—Mukuro suspects that Kagome purposefully injured herself to draw the kuromiko out of hiding. I'm more curious about what kind of attack it was that did that to her. In any case, Yukina said that if Kagome doesn't get an infection or her head cut off or something, she should make it. Can you take comfort in that, Yusuke?"

Keiko moved slightly in her sleep before settling again. Yusuke pulled her closer. "Yeah, I'm good."

A pillow swiftly hit him in the face…hard. It hadn't been the most comfortable pillow in the world.

"Snap out of it, bro. I got over my shock five minutes ago, and your staring is making Yukina uneasy," Shizuru said, rolling her eyes.

"Leave me alone! It's not every day I see someone come back from the dead, okay? Much less my sweet Yukina!" Kuwabara snapped back.

"Yusuke's died twice, Kazuma. How can this be surprising?" Shizuru asked.

This time it was Kuwabara to roll his eyes. "Come on, sis, we both know Yusuke doesn't count. He's got the physical endurance of a…of…he's got an insane physical endurance, and he's used to fighting all the time." To his chagrin, Shizuru had already returned to her previous conversation with the Koorime.

"So what happened, Yukina? How did you revive?" Shizuru asked, lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag. Her exhale was long and languished.

"It was quite odd really," Yukina confessed, "but I'm pretty sure it was a sword swung by Kagome."

"Our Kagome?!" He was hit in the face with another pillow, thankfully softer than the last.

"Do we know any other Kagomes?" Shizuru said, though even she seemed to be rather surprised. Kuwabara was starting to think she just liked to throw things at him. "But it was definitely Kagome?"

Yukina nodded. "It was a really pretty sword, too, not like one you would expect to be a sword at all. The blade looked like it held dancing, violet flames. She used it to revive Hatanaka-san and Aniki as well."

"Shorty's alive?!" This time it was a small cardboard box filled with playing cards. It seemed Shizuru ran out of pillows. "Would you stop doing that!"

"Stop shouting, Kazuma. You'll wake up the whole house," Shizuru said before turning to Yukina again. "How's everyone now?"

"Everyone's alive, at least. The only one who hasn't woken up yet is Kagome, but I was assured that she would be fine by Mukuro-sama." Yukina looked down at her hands, which were folded comfortably in her lap. "It's rather strange. From what I've heard from the Elders and other demons, Mukuro-sama is one of the most tyrannical of the four Makai lords, but from what I've seen of her around Hiei she's actually really nice."

"Wait, you really mean _the_ Mukuro?" Kuwabara asked, quickly holding up a pillow to protect himself from whatever ammunition with which Shizuru decided to bombard his face. When nothing came, he lowered the pillow and saw his older sister's amused grin. "That's who I'm sensing? What about the other youkai?"

"That would be Sesshoumaru-sama," Yukina said. "That's what makes it even odder. He's treating Kagome as Mukuro is to Hiei. He's never been known in all of his reign of Western Makai to show particular affection for anything. Why start with a human?"

Shizuru raised a brow. "Why start with Kagome?"

Those eyes…

Slowly, those eyes turned to him, pained, desolate, and so marred that they were perfect to him—an almost perfect copy of his, and yet so utterly different. He couldn't recall ever having such a dazed look in all his life.

Her arms moved back, bending, and Hiei realized too late that Kagome was trying to push herself up. He could practically hear her wounds reopening, even as she fell back onto the soft mattress. She whimpered, and the moonlight caught the vanguard tear as it broke free of the tightly closed lids before clearing a shining path down a pale cheek. Ignoring the pain in his chest, Hiei carefully swayed his way over to her bed and sat down on the edge.

The new shift of the bed convinced her to open her eyes. "H-Hiei…?"

"Yeah." Her eyes seemed to lose some of the pain and desolation, and, while that caught his curiosity, he wanted some other answers. "Did you really think it was wise to move after being so badly wounded?"

A smile slowly bloomed on her face, illuminating her eyes even better than the moonlight, but there was something off about it. It was…distant. _Is she delirious?_

"I wanted…to see you better. Is _that_ wise?" she asked him. _Definitely delirious_, he answered himself with wry assurance.

"You know," she continued, "I like your red eyes…the color is…pure."

"I'm not pure, Kagome."

Kagome frowned slightly, but nodded. "No…but you're not evil. Your eyes…they aren't evil, just dark. That's okay. You can be dark.

"But I've seen eyes that…your eyes are pure red. Vivid. I like your eyes. Untainted blood… anger…passion…life." She smiled again. "I see those things in that color, in your eyes. There are so many things your eyes can show with that untainted red. Not like his eyes…not like his…"

Hiei immediately noticed the change in her demeanor. The pain and desolation returned to haunt the perfectly marred blue-gray eyes, dimming them so that the only shine left was from the tears that want to follow the first one's example. Not caring that now would be an excellent time to call for Mukuro or what consequences would happen, Hiei asked, "Who is this 'he'?"

Kagome's breathing began a quicker pace as she tried to hold back a sob. "He who took it all away with a smile on his face. Tainted red—that was his eyes, like blood and dirt, blood shed on the battlefield with no other purpose but to be shed, on the battlefield of a pointless war. His eyes had no life, no compassion, just greed. Such a coward, always tricking others into doing his dirty work. He killed them all; he took away the only thing I had left." A mental image of the dead kit blindsided him, as well as indistinct faces of a violet-eyed man and a brown-eyed woman as their life was drained from them. "He took away my son, my little kit; my friends, my other family…" Even more blurry than the others before were amber eyes that had stared at Kagome with so much trust, so much care, and so much concern as they, too, faded away from life that Hiei nearly lost his breath. "He took away the best friend I had ever had, my first love…and he was smiling when he did it…that bastard dared to smile as he tore up my life. I'll never forget…I'll never forget his smile as he ripped me apart."

Right before his eyes, Kagome was cracking. Everything about her seemed to be falling apart, an angel in the break down. Even her mental barrier was sliding away, and before he could even begin to think of what to do, she screamed the agony she had been feeling for three weeks.

Hiei was so astounded by it all that he didn't notice the glamour on Kagome's markings begin to fall apart as well.

The scream had caused a great commotion to erupt in the shrine. Everyone was rushing out of whatever room they had been in to where they thought the source was, but rushing passed all of them were the two lords, Mukuro and Sesshoumaru, followed closely by Kirara.

Almost as if it had a mind of its own, the door to Kagome's room opened before the powerful demons could even lay a hand on it, perhaps in fear that it would be ripped off its hinges. They all stopped once inside the room, quickly making sense of what must have happened. None of them had been foolish enough to think that Kagome would be okay when she awoke.

Mukuro quickly picked up Hiei and carried him out of the room. It had been a tacit agreement that Sesshoumaru would see to Kagome first. She just hoped that Sesshoumaru would be able to calm the miko down before a complication arose.

When she closed the door behind her, she was met with the concerned faces of everyone else in the household. Mukuro wasn't surprised that Yusuke was standing in the forefront.

"What happened?" the detective asked through clenched teeth.

"Let's go down to the living room," Mukuro answered, already proceeding down the stairs. Hiei's silence was starting to worry her, but to look down now would bring the others' attention to him, something she was sure he wouldn't like.

Yusuke seemed to teleport in front of her, blocking her way. "What happened?" he repeated in a slower, more threatening manner. Mukuro wasn't impressed. Before anyone could blink she was beyond Yusuke and walking through the threshold that led to the living room.

Mukuro turned back to Yusuke, glaring at him with her good eye. "We will talk in here," she said tersely. Without bothering to wait and see if they actually listened to her, Mukuro strode into the living room. On the way to the love seat she kicked along the foot rest.

Carefully, Mukuro set Hiei up on one half of the small couch, putting his feet up on the foot rest before leaning on the wall close by him. Yukina immediately took the other half to the love seat, trying to pull a response from the distant apparition. Genkai took the rocking chair that was in the corner and dragged it over to the plush chair that Yusuke, with Keiko on his lap, had taken. Kurama had taken to the couch, Shiori and Botan sitting on each side of him. Atsuko sat on the arm of the couch nearest to Shiori. Shizuru and Kuwabara sat on the floor, leaning against the coffee table.

"Hiei? Aniki? Are you okay? Aniki?" Yukina asked, still unable to get Hiei, who seemed to be staring at something the others couldn't see, to answer. Desperately, she turned to face Mukuro. "What's wrong with him, Mukuro-sama? What happened in that room?"

Mukuro sighed. "Let him assimilate things, Yukina. Hiei's Jagan was just force-fed the pain Kagome's been feeling for the past couple weeks from the brutal murder of her closest friends and the child she informally adopted as a son."

Hiei blinked but remained silent.

"Her…son?" Shiori asked, slightly hesitant at bringing such an obviously powerful demon's attention on her.

Mukuro glanced at her. "You were the first to die by Kikyo's hands, yes?" The other woman nodded. "Sesshoumaru could tell; the scent of death on you was older than the one on Yukina." Mukuro sighed. "Do you know why in particular Kikyo chose to shoot you first?"

Shiori thought about it for a moment. "I spoke?"

Genkai snorted abruptly. "That can't be it. Shizuru didn't shut up for the better part of the entire thing and the worst that happened to her is that her bindings became tighter, and _she_ was being insulting. Try thinking more on what you were arguing about."

Shiori didn't even have to pause. "She was trying to make me disown Shuuichi, say I didn't love him."

"Exactly," Mukuro said. "Shippou was a kit, equivalent in age to a seven-year-old human child. It also doesn't help he bared a slight resemblance to Kurama's human body. Yukina was next to die because she had the purest heart."

There was a sharp rise in ki that had Mukuro immediately swinging her head to the source. She watched with slight interest as Kurama's eyes flickered to gold and his nails began to form claws. _So, the great Youko Kurama wants to have some control?_

"A kit?" Youko asked through his human host's mouth, his voice significantly deeper. Mukuro could feel how enraged the fox was over the death of one of his own kind. Kitsune in general were very protective of others, especially the children.

In the very least, Mukuro was glad that she wasn't the only one angered over that death in particular. Shippou had always showed her and Kagome his latest trick before anyone else; he became rather dear to her. "He was a kit, Youko. It wasn't I who killed him, so you might as well not bother growling at me."

"Then who did?" Hiei asked quietly. Everyone jumped, forgetting that he was even in the room. "I can't get the images out of my head. The dead kit, that man and woman, amber eyes…who killed them? I want his name."

Mukuro sighed again, slumping against the wall as much as her dignity would let her. "A name would do you no good, Hiei. You can't kill the dead; Kagome avenged her companions so thoroughly that not even the grass on which he stood left ashes behind."

There was silence. None of them could think of something to say to that. At last, though, the silence was interrupted by Kuwabara. "There's something that's been on my mind since I woke up," he said, looking up at Mukuro. "I can understand why you would be here for Hiei, but why are you and that other guy here for Kagome? Why would you care about a human?"

Mukuro closed her eyes, smiling slightly. "There are a lot of reasons why Sesshoumaru and I should care about Kagome. She is an extremely powerful miko, probably the strongest this century is likely to ever see. A purifying powerhouse, if you will. Put her talents in an army and you could be unbeatable."

Yusuke jumped from his seat (Keiko fell indignantly to the floor). "So that's all she is to you?! A weapon?!"

Mukuro rolled her eye. "Don't be foolish. I said that was a reason why we _should_ care about her, not why we do care about her. Honestly, if you couldn't even catch that then best of luck to you understanding what Kagome means when she says something important. I care about Kagome because she has kindness without falsity and strength without corruption; she has earned my respect."

Hiei raised a brow in her direction. "What about Sesshoumaru?"

Mukuro smirked. _I'm not surprised you'd notice that, Hiei._ "Sesshoumaru has his reasons, and it is his prerogative whether or not he feels like sharing them."

Another lull in discussion overcame them, broken only for a moment when Keiko slapped Yusuke for dumping her on the floor so suddenly.

Kagome stared blankly ahead of her, calm, and with a semblance of collectiveness that Sesshoumaru was sure didn't extend beyond the surface. She became like this almost immediately upon realizing it was he who held her against his chest, stroking a careful hand through her hair as he had seen her do for Rin once upon a time.

But no calm and false collectiveness could eradicate the tears from her eyes or the trails they left over her faintly reddened cheeks. The glistening streaks managed to bring emphasis to the similarly themed markings that had been bared under the strain of intense emotional upheaval.

He could hear the conversation in the other room as though only a small sheet of paper was between them. Kagome was reacting to it, or at least to the energies released in the trill of emotion. Whenever she felt anger like from Youko, then from Yusuke, she would bury her head into his chest in discomfort until it settled again. She would give an infinitesimal whimper, but he could hear that, too.

The soul is very different and yet very similar to the human body. It can be ripped apart and put back together in ways the human body only wishes it could, and it could survive those separations unattended for much longer than if you cut off a man's leg and take away all ways to get help. However, much like the human body, it can heal after it has been wounded, and for a time in the healing process it is sore.

Kagome's soul had been badly wounded, and now it was horribly sore.

Intense, abrasive emotions like anger and hatred was akin to rubbing salt into a stab wound. Happiness would be like replacing the salt with sugar, not as bad but pretty painful all the same.

Sesshoumaru did not feel hatred or anger right now, and he may never have felt downright happy, so he was safe to be around. He was feeling content, and Kagome wouldn't suffer from a non-intense feeling like contentedness. Kirara, at the foot of the bed, was content to be in the same room as her mistress; she was safe, too.

The others, though, they weren't safe right now. Yusuke was a strong feeler, and strong wasn't safe. Kuwabara for the same reason. On their own, humans were strong feelers, so even the ones down there that only heard Kagome's name might be moved to overly strong feelings just by seeing her—except maybe the old woman, she's been through enough to not get overly emotional over a wounded girl that saved her life.

Another barely heard whimper. The Youko was still steaming about the kit's death, and Yusuke and Kuwabara were becoming increasingly angered at something, probably the lack of control they have of the situation or the lack of information. Hiei wasn't content, but he wasn't really angry. He was doing the emotional equivalent of a frown. The mother, Shiori, was intensely confused. Pretty much everyone else was in the same boat as her, or on the other boat with Yusuke and Kuwabara. The only one not on any boat in that room was Mukuro, who was standing defiantly on the life preserver between calm and slightly unsettled—probably worried about Kagome's condition.

A small hand loosely gripped his white, silk top. "I was told you were dead," Kagome murmured faintly. He looked down at her; her eyes were closed, tense—she was still in pain.

"Among a great many foul things, Naraku was arrogant. He left before ensuring that I was truly dead. The Tenseiga protected me, and I revived who I could, including Jaken, Kouga, and his pack," Sesshoumaru said.

"…And Rin?"

"Was unable to be saved."

"I'm sorry."

"The fault lies not in you, but in Naraku and his greed." He pulled her a bit closer to him and closed his eyes. "Don't blame yourself for his sins, Kagome; nobody else does."

"…You miss her."

"I miss her, like you miss them."

"Yes…Sesshou?"

She was the only one who was allowed to call him that, who dared to call him that. "Yes?"

"Is that…Mukuro?"

"It is. Would you like to see her?"

Kagome shook her head. "I'm okay for now. I can see her later, when things don't hurt so much."

"Your pain is great." It wasn't a question; her physical wounds had reopened from before, and the sheer emotion from the others on her battered soul must have hurt even worse. "I'll get you something for the physical pain. Don't bother to argue; I will come back soon."

Kagome gave a small grin as he laid her gently back on the bed. "Don't think you're getting off easy, Sesshoumaru. We'll find something else to argue about later, and I'll be up for it then."

The corner of his lips lifted. "Agreed."

Sesshoumaru immediately noticed that any meager attempts at conversation by those uncomfortable with silences was immediately halted when he let the sounds of his footsteps on the stairs be heard. He paused in the threshold of the living room, noticing that he had the attention of all the people in the room, some of them—the women in particular—looking at him with an odd sense of admiration. He ignored them easily and instead looked at Mukuro, who looked faintly amused. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _That woman has the oddest sense of humor._

"How is she?" Mukuro asked, standing up straight. "Has she calmed down?"

"She is much more lucid than before, but in great pain. Is the water still hot?"

Mukuro leaned against the wall again. "It could stand to be reheated."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Jaken." There was a crash of something in the kitchen and the sound of muffled cursing before the imp appeared before him, bowing lowly and giving praises. "Reheat the water and prepare some of the tea…and clean up whatever mess you made in there."

"Right away, Lord Sesshoumaru!" Jaken said, bowing once more before quickly scurrying to the kitchen where he had sought refuge from the 'lowly humans'.

Sesshoumaru turned to find that Yusuke and Kuwabara had decided to confront him face to faces, even though the obvious height difference caused that phrase to be less literal than originally intended. "We want to see Kagome," Yusuke demanded.

The great lord blinked as the only indication of his annoyance at the brashness of the son of Raizen. "No."

"What?"

Sesshoumaru's eye really wanted to twitch right now. _Insolent little whelp._ "This Sesshoumaru will not repeat himself to you. If you didn't hear what was said the first time, that is your own problem."

Yusuke gripped his empty sleeve tightly when he turned to go back to Kagome's room. "If we can't go up, I don't see why you should—"

Sesshoumaru liked to think himself patient, or in the very least rational. However, some things just bugged him, and one of those things happened to be when someone unworthy touches his person in any way. It is therefore understandable that he swung a green-glowing fist at the detective's face in a manner so fast that even Hiei had trouble following the movement.

Yusuke and Kuwabara, on the other hand, happen to know that they are hardly patient, or in the very least rational, people. When one of them gets knocked to the ground so hard that it would have killed if it had been an ordinary human, they tend to show this rather unfavorable quality as well as the other unfavorable quality of being naturally pugnacious.

In other words, it was pretty much war.

And it caught Kagome's attention.

§§§§§

**A/N: So there you have it: part one.**

**I figure since you're not in a rush to go read the chapter that you'll actually listen here to my explanation as to why I took much much longer than I would have liked to have taken to upload this chapter:**

**I've pulled more all-nighters than I would care to admit and my sleep schedule is nuts. By the time I **_**have**_** time to write, I either lack the inspiration or lack the energy.**

**My other reason is one that some of you might enjoy. I'm currently working on a Fruits Basket/InuYasha story, but won't begin uploading it until have at least ten chapters down (so something like this won't happen again), as well as an FB/IY one-shot. It's official: I've fallen in love with the idea of a Kyo/Kagome story (but I can't find but a small handful of them...WHERE'S THE JUSTICE?!...sorry...).**

**Anyway, please review!! (I'm kind of bummed. I worked very hard on that last chapter and got the least amount of reviews for it.)**


	10. Move Along Part II

**A/N: AND SHE LIVES! That's right, people, Adrasteia Wen still exists on this world, and she has FINALLY updated. _And_ she's updated the format by adding quotes to the beginning of each chapter as she damn-well pleases.**

**All right, enough of the third person. I would like to that everyone who reviewed me over my unplanned hiatus. Especially, WutItDo and Azera-who took the time to e-mail me about updating, and feathergriffin, who puts up with me enough to be my friend.**

**Disclaimer: I own this really cool paperclip that looks like a guitar, and this kick-ass new poster I got that boggles my mind, but InuYasha and Yu Yu Hakusho? You're kidding, right?**

//The Phoenix\\

§Move Along (Part 2)§

"And even when your hope is gone  
Move along, move along just to make it through  
Move along"

--The All-American Rejects, 'Move Along'

Kagome turned to look at the mirror from her place by the door, and she nearly winced. She looked horrible, pallid beyond life. There were circles under her eyes, and blood was seeping from the bandages on her chest, but that wasn't why she looked into the mirror. Her markings were hidden, and that was all she was worried about.

Walking hurt terribly, like trudging through knives so sharp they could cut space, but she endured it. Sesshoumaru had been gone for too long, and she was being tortured by the anger he felt, the rage that Yusuke and Kuwabara felt. She opened the door with Kirara acting as a guard. Kagome was using the Tessaiga—the lightest sword she had—as a support since Kirara couldn't transform without risking setting the room on fire. There was no way she'd be moving on her own without it.

Her legs themselves felt as though she were plodding through knee-high tar as she crossed the hallway to get to the staircase. Looking down, she, with a vision blurred and slurred slantways by an agony even deeper than the body, was still able to make out the quick movements of Sesshoumaru and the slightly slower ones of Yusuke and Kuwabara, marveling only for a moment that they could fight so efficiently without breaking anything in the house. She unconsciously thanked them for that.

Carefully, she tried to make it down one step when a wave of refreshed fury made her so sick with pain that she nearly fell. Could no one really sense her? Not even Sesshoumaru? Her balance, precarious as it was, held firm only until another wave of emotion swept up under her feet and tripped her down the stairs. When she landed at the bottom she couldn't even muster a scream, but her mouth was open wide trying.

She had tumbled right into everyone's view. Kagome was surprised that shock was so nonabrasive; when she had a moment she would realize that shock such as that is more like the emotion one feels when all the other emotions have been knocked out. Of course, the other emotions have to wake up sooner or later, and Kagome hadn't exactly been lucky lately.

Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Sesshoumaru all went to help her at the same time, but as their former conflict hadn't been resolved by any means, since they are all incredibly stubborn, their fight began again, just with more piss and vinegar. Kagome couldn't even get enough air to groan. Kagome dimly felt Kirara jumping around the feet of the fighters in an attempt to stop the battle but was easily ignored. Even when she transformed—house fire be damned—they maneuvered around her. Instead Kirara tried to move Kagome way from them by gently using her teeth and, as carefully as she could, dragging the miko by the skin of her neck without piercing anything. It wouldn't have made a difference since Kagome could hardly even feel her physical body anymore with all the anger dropping on her like a fixated wrecking ball.

At last, she found strength to catch the wrecking ball. "_Relax!_" Kagome screamed, and her power flew from her in a flash of light. The anger was gone, and she was so grateful she nearly passed out.

Across the room laid three inanimate bodies. Kirara stopped moving. Mukuro stepped forward, looking at them all critically before turning to Kagome, vaguely impressed. "They're asleep," she said before prodding Sesshoumaru with the toe of her boot. "Very asleep."

Genkai stood as well before kicking Yusuke very hard in the shin. He grunted but was still sleeping. "I wish I could get him to listen to me that well."

Kagome looked at them, her face the closest to flummoxed it could manage. "I only wanted…their anger it…I just…I couldn't…no more fighting, that's all," she finally settled on. "Sorry…"

"It's okay, Kags. We get it," Shizuru said, picking up the young miko and looked for a comfortable place to put her. Yukina stood and moved to the armrest on the other side of Hiei. Kagome was soon settled next to the fire apparition.

"Are you sure they'll be okay?" Yukina asked, looked concernedly at Kuwabara.

Shizuru and Hiei snorted. "Who cares?"

"They'll be fine, just sleeping," Genkai assured before looking at Kagome, examining the bloodstains on the otherwise clean bandages. "You, though, look like you should have never woken up at all, girl." Noticing the wince the miko gave when everyone's attention turned to her more closely, Genkai decided to be merciful. After all, the girl did technically save her life. "Where's that tea, anyhow?"

Mukuro sighed. "Jaken should have finished with the tea by now, unless…" The ruler looked curiously at Kagome, a silent question in her eyes.

Kagome turned away a bit but, even so, had a small smile on her face. "Jaken's always angry when he's around humans…"

A spark of amusement entered Mukuro's eye. "Let's hope he's very asleep, too, then."

§

It was a good hour later before Sesshoumaru woke up. Immediately upon realizing that he was still on the ground he stood and observed the room. Everyone was staring at him but he only looked at Kagome, who was struggling with her second cup of tea. "You are still down here." Kagome could tell it wasn't a question.

"Why leave and miss all this fun?" she asked. "I'm sorry about knocking you out like that. I lost control with all the anger floating around. If it makes you feel better, Jaken is knocked out, too."

Sesshoumaru walked up to her, and Kagome knew she had been forgiven when he helped guide the tea to her lips so she could drink it. She sighed internally.

"Your bandages need changing. They should be taken care of as soon as possible," Sesshoumaru said while observing the bloodstains on her bandages, which had grown since he last saw them. "Now would be preferable."

Kagome nodded and allowed herself to be picked up by Sesshoumaru.

"Please wait, Sesshoumaru-sama," Botan called out. "Why can't I or Yukina heal her with pneumatherapy? It would be so much quicker."

Kagome gestured to Sesshoumaru to stop (which he hadn't done because no mere ferry girl would order this Sesshoumaru-sama). "It's because I did this on purpose, Botan. I sent out attacks randomly because Kikyo was hiding and her mirror would protect her by reflecting the attack back at me, and you can't heal self-inflicted wounds." Sesshoumaru wordlessly continued up the stairs, a small Kirara following at his heels.

When safely in her room, Sesshoumaru began the process of redressing her injuries. Carefully cutting away the bandages, he cleansed the wounds again and grabbed a jar of a liquid that had the same consistency of honey and a soft, clean brush from a drawer in the bedside table. Like an artist about to create a masterpiece, he dipped the brush into the salve in the jar and carefully painted over the wounds. Kagome fell into an exhausted sleep under his gentle ministrations.

§

It had been weird sitting next to Kagome, admittedly, but that was _nothing_ compared to watching Sesshoumaru, whose reputation for being a complete and ruthless bastard was proven many times in many ways, being some semblance of kind to a _human_. Hiei started to wonder whether or not he was still dead and he got lost en route to the real hell at this demented version of it. He knew it wasn't: nothing that resembled Yukina would ever be found in hell unless it was there to hurt him.

Kurama seemed to be stuck on the same page he was. "I never thought I'd see the day when Sesshoumaru-sama showed anything other than contempt to a human," the fox said.

"I know what you mean," agreed Botan. "I mean, I know reapers who've carried off the thousands he's murdered when they got in his way before the making of the barriers. And everyone knows how many times he's tried killing his brother just for being a hanyou."

Mukuro, who took up Kagome's place beside Hiei, rolled her eye. "Half-brother, and this was over five hundred years ago, or do I need to remind you that he was not the one to kill InuYasha and stopped trying to before the whelp's death. If you do not think intelligent beings are capable of change then you are the least intelligent of them all."

"But why? Why would he change his mind like that?" Botan pressed before realizing who she was talking to and bowed her head low, then even lower when the spoken-of devil walked back into the room.

"The pursuit of my little half-brother was trivial, and this Sesshoumaru-sama does not waste his time." Sesshoumaru answered, sitting next to Mukuro on the arm of the loveseat with astounding regality. "Kagome is special; she is the first human to not die when I tried to kill her."

"You tried to kill her?" was the general consensus from pretty much everyone in the room, with varying states of abhorrence. However, from Hiei, Kurama, and Genkai came, "She didn't die?"

Sesshoumaru glared. "I will not repeat myself."

A groan came from the lump on the floor known as Yusuke. "You're a real bastard, you know that, Sesshoumaru?"

Keiko immediately jumped out of her seat. "Yusuke, are you alright?" She helped to pull him into a more vertical position.

Yusuke nodded, stubbornly pushing himself away from her help and took her seat. "I'm fine, Keiko. Anything big happen while I—"

"You jerk! What were you thinking getting into a fight with a demon lord?! How stupid could you be?!"

§

"Very, it seems."

Kagome sighed at Midoriko's answer. "I couldn't think of anything else to do, Midoriko-sama. Not then, anyway." Kagome winced as Midoriko ran the cloth over her wounds again. The grass beneath her back was cool and the water from the spring was rejuvenating and healing the damage done to her soul, making the presence of all the people in her house and their emotions easier to deal with. "It was impossible to tell where she was hiding, and I needed to get rid of the youkai anyway. I wasn't really concerned with how reckless I was being."

Midoriko looked up from her work, shooting Kagome a jocular gaze. "Which was very."

Kagome playfully rolled her eyes. "Thanks for reiterating that one. I don't think I got it the first time."

Midoriko submerged the cloth in the water once more, rung it out, and administered it to Kagome once more. "Yes, it seems we must work on correcting that little problem. The only ones who would like to see you nearly die twice in less than the span of one day are your enemies."

Kagome smiled softly, turning her head to face the flowing water. "I can't say I regret my actions, though. Kikyo's at peace, everyone else is alive, I get to see Sesshoumaru and Mukuro again, Kirara's back, and I've still got the shrine. Life is pretty good right now."

§

"Life SUCKS!"

Jorge flinched as Koenma punctuated his fury with a sound punch to his desk, followed by the sweeping of all the paperwork to the floor. The other ogres quickly dove for all the forms, collecting them and trying haphazardly to sort them into some coherent order.

"How the hell could this have happened?!" Koenma continued, with all justice. Not only did all communication go down between Reikai and Ningenkai, but the same power that was now obstructing all passage between the two worlds—causing a huge backup in the processing of dead souls, dammit—was allowing easier access from the third, Makai. It had been brought to his attention that two S-class demons traversed into the Human World, but it was unclear just who those two were. The only boon was that it seemed other demons of lower levels were too fearful to follow. According to the clock he used just for this specific purpose, it was almost six in the morning in Ningenkai; it would be well after noon before they managed to fix all this damage and restore order, at this rate.

"Dammit!"

§

Kagome awoke a few hours later, the sun shining quintessentially through the window. The clock said it was about quarter to seven, which was when she usually seemed to wake up no matter how tired she had been when she fell asleep, even if it had been only fifteen minutes ago. She smiled wryly; it would figure InuYasha's travel schedule would be so deeply ingrained into her system after nearly three years of keeping to it. She sighed as she slowly sat up, careful not to agitate her wounds any more than absolutely necessary.

"You're actually going to try moving again?" a sardonic voice said from the other side of the room. Kagome turned her head just enough to look Hiei in the eyes, before defiantly reclining against the backboard of the bed as he was to the wall.

"I'm feeling much better after being able to sleep and heal," Kagome answered noncommittally. She looked down as Kirara invited herself onto the miko's lap. "The house is calm."

"Hn."

"I take it everyone is asleep?"

"The humans are."

Kagome nodded. "Yesterday was a hard day, so I'm sure they must still be pretty wiped out. And how are Hatanaka-san and Yukina-san?"

"Hn."

The miko chuckled slightly. "I'm glad they're okay. That was the first time I used Kiseki-Jihi. I mean, it's one thing to be told that it saves lives, but to do it, to see it like that is pretty amazing." Kagome stroked Kirara's fur tenderly, missing the gaze of hindered curiosity Hiei was bestowing upon her.

§

"You know, I could probably walk on my own," Kagome said almost petulantly, a small pout forming on her lips.

"You could be having breakfast in your room," Sesshoumaru reminded her. It worked—she said nothing more on the issue.

Shiori had easily fallen into step in the kitchen after calling her husband and letting him know that there was nothing to worry about, that something happened with Shuuichi (her Shuuichi, not her coincidentally named step-son) and she forgot to leave him a message in her haste. With her husband reassured of their safety and the promise to be home within the day, the doting mother began preparing a breakfast with ingredients she convinced Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko and her own son to retrieve—actually, Keiko insisted on going in fear of what the boys would bring back. After familiarizing herself with the kitchen, she bustled around preparing a simple breakfast of omelets served with pickled radishes, miso, and rice. Yukina was preparing the tea and helping where she could. It was hard for Shiori to believe that the girl was a demon with such an innocent demeanor.

"Good morning," Kagome said enthusiastically from her perch in Sesshoumaru's arm. Her color was still pallid, but no where near as horrible as it was last night. Those who occupied the kitchen, who, besides Shiori and Yukina, were Genkai and Atsuko, greeted her in return. "Is there anything you need? Are you finding everything okay?"

"We're fine in here, Kagome-san," Shiori answered, turning enough to smile at the young woman. She was unsure of just how to address the young woman who saved her life, but Mukuro said the miko would probably just correct her if she added a higher honorific. Only those who were very persistent called her "Kagome-sama."

"How are you feeling?" the miko asked, directing her question to Shiori and Yukina.

Yukina poured Kagome a cup of tea after Sesshoumaru had moved a cushion to the wall and seated her on it so she wouldn't have to support her upper body. "We're fine, but you're the one who's injured."

Kagome accepted the cup gratefully. "Don't worry about me. I was an unnaturally quick healer before, but with my soul complete again I should be good as new in a week, maybe less if I actually concentrate."

"That's amazing," Shiori said, pausing in her cooking to stare at the young woman. "To be able to heal so fast…" Kagome looked at her carefully, sapphire eyes holding her under their power.

"And how are you handling this, Hatanaka-san? It must be quite a shock to learn about everything under such unpleasant circumstances," Kagome asked, her odd eyes looking older than Genkai.

"It's a lot to understand, but I'm taking it all in stride," Shiori answered. "Then again, I haven't seen many youkai."

"Hopefully, you won't have to," Kagome said. Her free hand was scratching the neko youkai behind the ear. "They aren't all as cute as Kirara, or as beautiful as Sesshoumaru is when he's humanoid." She paused briefly to flash a smile at the stoic demon lord. "I've seen a youkai that was essentially a giant hairball with a mouth. But looks don't really matter in the end. I have a friend, Jinenji, who's a horse hanyou, and if anybody in Ningenkai saw him they'd probably run away in disgust, but he is the sweetest, shyest man I've ever met…where as beautiful Sesshoumaru has a three meter pole shoved up his butt." The Taiyoukai glared at the miko dangerously. The miko quickly amended. "I'm sorry. Beautiful Sesshoumaru-_sama­_ has a three meter pole shoved up his butt. Better?"

"You're incorrigible, miko," the demon lord stated. Kagome laughed slightly.

"I prefer 'stubborn.'"

§

"Why is it I always get the dirty jobs?" Jaken complained as he rode Ah-Uh to the battle ground. The destruction of the kuromiko had been so thorough that he could still feel the purity in the air as if it were the scent on the wind after a heavy rainstorm. He scowled slightly as it reminded him of who sent him here.

Stupid miko.

Just before she managed to convince his Sesshoumaru-sama to let her eat breakfast with the others, which took a while considering they were both very obstinate, she asked him to come to this forsaken place and gather all the hiruiseki before someone finds them. It was a valid concern, considering how valuable the stones were in Ningenkai, but he still didn't see why _he_ had to do it. He sighed when they landed, and got the pouch before jumping off and beginning his work.

§

Everyone, with the exception of an amused Mukuro and stoic Sesshoumaru, stared at Kagome in shock, while she just fidgeted underneath their gazes. The news reporter moved on to the next story as though she didn't just cause this. Damn newswoman. Damn news.

Kagome turned to the gawking onlookers, wondering exactly how she was going to explain this one away. "I can explain…"

Yusuke raised a dubious brow, no doubt prepared to ask the one question that would throw any of her safe, logical explanations out the window and close the curtains, too, just for the hell of it. "_All_ the lights, Kagome?"

"I _really_ didn't want to get those pictures taken."

"Then why not just the camera?"

"…They could have gotten another!"

Thankfully, Kagome was spared from any more embarrassing questions with the advent of Jaken and his noisy procession through the door. "Here," he said shortly, dropping the pouch in her waiting hands before departing for the kitchen.

"Thank you, Jaken," she said to his retreating back. He scoffed but bowed to her, then again more deeply to Sesshoumaru, before leaving the room full of humans.

"What's that, Kagome?" Yukina asked curiously from her side of Hiei.

Kagome smiled at the Koorime. "I had Jaken get these before any humans stumbled upon them." She opened the pouch with care and pulled out one of the hiruiseki. "I didn't want to put your safety in jeopardy if someone managed to put two and two together." She put the stone back in the pouch before handing it over to Yukina.

"Thank you very much, Kagome," the Ice Maiden said, touched that someone she practically just met was so considerate to her safety. "I don't know how to repay you."

Kagome seemed to hesitate, her eyes flickering to Shiori briefly, and then said, "Actually, I do have…a request of you. I'll understand if you say no."

Hiei frowned. "What is it?" he asked.

The miko looked at Hiei briefly before bypassing him to look Yukina in the eyes. "I want to try something, but I need two hiruiseki to do it." Kagome watched sadly as the Koorime's hands clenched around the bag, but winced at the intense anger coming from her brother. "Please calm down, Hiei. My soul hasn't fully healed yet."

"What do you want with my sister's tears, onna?"

"I want to protect her and Hatanaka-san," Kagome said through clenched teeth. "You have no reason to be angry; relax or I might have to make you."

The memory of last night's incident and the fact that the miko probably _could_ make him "relax" gave him the strength to calm himself. That and the wicked glare Sesshoumaru was gifting him with.

Yukina looked curious now. "How are my stones going to help you protect us?"

Kagome leaned into the loveseat, her eyes closed, recovering from the anger of the man beside her. "I'm not sure how to explain it. I'm not even sure if it will work, but I want to try. If nothing happens, I promise to give them back. If I'm successful…well, you get one back anyway. Whatever happens, I'm not keeping them." She opened her eyes and smiled ruefully, almost pitifully, at Yukina. The impact made the Ice Maiden gasp a little. "Trust me, Yukina; I know how it feels when one deals with greed and pretty jewels. I have no intentions of putting you through that."

Yukina looked deeply into Kagome's eyes, and Kagome allowed her to see a glimmer of the despair that she hid deep within her. She wordlessly handed the stones over to Kagome. The miko carefully pulled out two strands of her raven hair before she closed her eyes once more. "Thank you…very much."

Kagome straightened her back the best she could, ignoring the tightness in her chest. She folded her hands in a prayer position and focused on her energy. The ocean of power she saw within her mind was almost fully repaired, the part of her soul that had been with Kikyo slowly but surely flowing into and becoming indistinguishable from the rest. She guided some of her energy through her body and into her hands.

The stones grew almost too warm in her glowing palms, and she could feel their shapes shifting into something different as she infused them with her will, her protection. When she felt sure it was done, she returned any excess power back into the waters in her mind.

She opened her eyes to a bunch of curious onlookers…and Sesshoumaru, who, in addition to almost every other emotion, may never have been curious in his entire life. "I think it worked," she said, opening her hands.

Kagome was right, they had changed shapes. Instead of perfect little spheres there was a rose and a snowflake. A thin chain of silver held the charms up as a necklace. She wondered at the shapes, as she had no intention to change the way the stones looked. The snow flake was obviously for Yukina, but the rose? She cast a side glance at Kurama, pondering if he was the reason since he worked with the flower as a form of weaponry.

She handed the snowflake over to Yukina, and then tossed the rose over to Shiori. "They should protect you from being attacked by forming a barrier around you with my energy. I kind of treated them like ofuda, but since I doubt you'd appreciate having a piece of paper stuck anywhere on your person I figured this would do nicely."

Yukina looked at hers curiously from its place around her neck. "But why my hiruiseki?"

Kagome smiled at her. "When I shoot my arrows I almost unconsciously put my power into them, which is okay since it's the nature of my power to purify. But when I set about infusing objects with a specific intent, like warding off evil spirits or whatever, it's a bit more complicated than that. Therefore, it's more difficult to take an ordinary object, like a piece of paper, for instance, and make it do what I want. You have to prep it and create its purpose, which is why the piece of paper needs to be written on in order to become an ofuda. I shouldn't strain my powers any more than I have to in my condition, and that's where your stones came in. They're already infused with your energy." Somewhere in her explanation she confused half of her listeners, and since Yukina was one of them she felt the need to make it a little simpler. "Look at it this way: it's easier to change someone's mind than make a new mind all together."

§

"_You're so stubborn!"_

Kagome stared out the window in the living room, almost afraid to go upstairs and face the vast emptiness she knew would be there.

Sesshoumaru and Mukuro had left around noon, so as not to deal with Reikai forces that were beginning to recover. As things were slowly beginning to return to normal after Kikyo's venture into Ningenkai, the more restless the Reikai Tantei seemed to become. Kurama calmly explained to her that it was mostly because they unanimously decided that they didn't want Kagome's powers to be brought to Koenma's attention, in case he decided it would be in Ningenkai's (and therefore his) "best interest" to have her join the team and pretty much lose all traces of freedom she had left. She was touched by their sincerity, and thanked them for their consideration. Shiori made her promise to come over to their house for dinner as soon as she was better before leaving to be with her family. The Kuwabara siblings were very determined to stay with her at the shrine until she was fully healed so she reminded them that they had a life they should probably get back to, but Shizuru's words still kept ringing in her head, even after they had left with promises of visiting the next day and reassurances that she could call them at any time should she need _anything_.

But Shizuru was right; she was very stubborn indeed, and even as the house's oppressive barrenness threatened to drive her insane, she refused to go anywhere near the phone.

Kagome took a deep breath and turned off the television, having not paid any attention to it in the slightest. She silently made her way up the stairs, pausing at the family photos hung lovingly on the walls. Her wounds had healed enough that she could move carefully without risking too much damage, so her progress was slow but steady with Tessaiga as a cane. Her intent was to go straight to her room where Kirara was probably still asleep on her pillows, to not detour even to the bathroom, but her plans stopped when her feet froze at her mother's room. She stared at the doorknob for a long time before finally deciding to open the door.

It still smelled like her. Tears started to brim in Kagome's eyes as she slowly stepped into the room, the scent of her mother rolling through her nose and heading straight to her heart. With resignation she climbed into the bed, laying Tessaiga where her father had slept once upon a long time ago. Now nobody was there to sleep in this bed but her.

Nobody was there…no one at all.

Nobody was there to see the first of a long train of tears soak into the pillow that held the scent of her mother's shampoo.

§§§§§

**Point of interest: Tessaiga is spelt correctly according to the proper Japanese. Turns out the translators messed up a character and it was publicized incorrectly as "Tetsusaiga" instead of "Tessaiga." I would like to thank Wikipedia for clearing up my annoyance at the spelling conflictions between the fan-subbed episodes I've watched and the English-dubbed version.**

**A/N: Aww, poor Kagome! Anyway, thanks again for putting up with me all this time. Sorry for the short chapter, but it felt like the best place to end it—I guess I'm not as sorry for it as I should be then. Oops.**

**I'll do my best to update the next chapter after the mid-terms. I've got a lot of things on my plate, evil testing aside. I'm writing a one-act play for my creative writing class (two girls and one guy stuck in a men's bathroom—that just screams humor to me); working on this story (I'm so happy to start working on the interesting part); working on my InuYasha/Fruits Basket crossover; and finally, my latest project—a crossover of InuYasha and Bleach! Hoorah—I'm suicidal! Thankfully, it's just an outline right now (a personal first for me, I never outline—I really should).**

**As always, review!**


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